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County Assessor, St. Joseph County

Vote for
1
Term
4 years
Candidates
2
Election
Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The county assessor oversees the assessment of property for property taxes across the county.

Taxes & budget

  • Victor CummingsDemocratic

    • Pledges to coach property owners through state assessment rules
    • Pledges closer review of neighborhoods with rapid value changes
  • Mike CastellonRepublican

    • Led update of neighborhood boundaries unchanged since 1995

Government & transparency

  • Victor CummingsDemocratic

    • Pledges more staff training to reduce assessment errors
    • Pledges clear explanations of how assessments are set
  • Mike CastellonRepublican

    • Hosted yearly town halls to help residents with appeals
    • Led push for Level III certification across assessor's staff
    • Led launch of an online Engage Portal for taxpayers

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 2 issues covered in this race.