Casius Pealer, an alum of LCV’s Candidate Academy, recently ran for Orleans Parish Tax Assessor. Though he lost this race, his first ever run for office, he received 28% of the vote citywide. He’s pleased he was able to educate voters about the role of the Tax Assessor.

“The incumbent has literally been in the role for 40 years, and most of the time he runs unopposed, so there is usually no conversation about the duties of the role and whether he’s serving the parish well,” he explained.

Casius wanted to run because he felt that the incumbent wasn’t using the role to help residents. For example, he didn’t collect overdue corporate taxes that would have supported parish services. He also blocked supporting the efforts of affordable housing developers.

The Assessor doesn’t report to the New Orleans Mayor or City Council; he is directly elected by the voters. So the current Assessor has rejected requests from the council members to report on the companies receiving industrial tax exemptions. That means most people don’t know how much lost tax revenue isn’t going to schools or public services, or whether the tax exemptions that are granted are providing any public benefits in the form of jobs or economic stimulus to the parish.

Casius wanted to bring these issues to light, and in fact, educating voters was his favorite part of his campaign. “I liked talking to people and answering questions about property taxes and the way they affect economic development and affordable housing,” he reflected. He created a lot of explainer videos for social media and engaged with voters in the comments on his posts. His kids, 7 and 9 years old, also really got into the campaign, which was fun for Casius.

He was disappointed by the lack of interest in the role of the Assessor among the groups that endorse candidates and hold candidate forums in Orleans Parish. He didn’t hear many questions specific to the role of taxation, and often the groups didn’t take the time to share their priorities with the candidates. He also hoped for more support from the progressive organizations in New Orleans, but they largely ignored the Assessor race.

“I was surprised by the level of ignorance about the role of Assessor,” Casius said. Progressive organizations (like labor unions and the Democratic Party) are generally supportive of robust public services that require revenue. So he was dismayed to realize that these organizations don’t seem to know about the power that the Assessor has, or how much more the office could do to support progressive causes like affordable housing.

Casius is proud of the positive race he ran. He made sure his critiques were based on substantive policy differences. He hopes that his race elevated the role of the Assessor, and that more knowledgeable voters will lead to more eyes on the race next time. “Whatever happens next time, I expect there will be more attention on the race and the potential for the role of the Assessor,” said Casius.

LCV’s candidate training encouraged Casius to take the plunge and run. “I was able to connect with people who encouraged me to run, and the fact that other Louisiana leaders were there too made me think it wasn’t crazy to jump in, even given the short time frame,” he reflected.

His advice for future candidates is to pick a goal for your campaign and stick to that goal, win or lose. For Casius it was important to educate voters about the power of the Assessor’s role. He focused on the need for more transparency and more robust enforcement, and he feels that he was able to do that, even though he didn’t win.

Also, said Casius, “You have to have the support of your family.” His wife encouraged him to run and really stepped up with their children, which made it possible for him to devote the necessary time to his campaign.

Our country urgently needs more leaders who share our vision of a world with a healthy environment and healthy communities, protected by a just and equitable democracy. To empower more people in our movement to become leaders, LCV and our state affiliates offer robust leadership development opportunities. Read more about LCV’s Candidate Academy and other programs.