As a lifelong Cole County resident, Greg Rollins said he's always looked for way to give back to the community.
Currently, he sits on the Calvary Lutheran High School board of directors as its treasurer. He was a past state vice president for the Missouri Jaycees. An active community member, Rollins has owned Rollins Automotive since it opened its doors in October 2004.
Greg Rollins
Rollins' hobbies bring him outdoors. He enjoys landscaping, fishing and coaching sports. He sits on the Calvary Lutheran High School board of directors as its treasurer. In the past, he was the state vice president of the Missouri Jaycees.With more time to dedicate to his community, Rollins, a Republican, said he decided to seek elected office for the first time, campaigning for Cole County Assessor.
"Over the years, I've been able to see the participation level and caring attitude of everybody in the community, and it just made me realize that's something I want to get involved with at whatever level. And this is probably the highest level of service that I can give to Cole County right now - to serve in an elected position," he said.
His business interacts frequently with the Cole County Assessor's office and Collector's office, which he said makes him knowledgeable of both offices. Rollins said he often guides his customers, who've purchased a new vehicle or camper, for example, through the process of filing with the assessor's office.
"They would come back to me and slightly frustrated, be confused and I would give them direction on what they need to do, whether it be with the collector's office, the recorder of deeds or the assessor's office," he said. "It just seemed like the least understood office in the county was the Cole County Assessor's office."
Rollins made the decision to run two years ago after holding informational discussions with county officials, business leaders and real estate experts about in what capacity he could be useful to the community.
"By and large, the most common answer was the assessor's office," he said. "There's just not enough communication to the citizens of Cole County about what the office does, how you make everything fair, how you make everything accessible."
Rollins touts his communication skills, ability to cooperate and accessibility as his strengths.
"Communication is a very strong point in my life," he said. "That's what I have to do every single day is communicate. So, my communication skills with individuals is very high."
Rollins said as the assessor, he would work diligently to resolve discrepancies over property value. He said he plans to talk with property owners and make the effort to physically visit the property. Taxpayers, he said, are the boss.
"You have to spend that time with them," Rollins said. "Your boss has a question, you talk to your boss. You don't just sit in your office and say, 'That's the way it is, take it up with the Board of Equalization. It doesn't have to get to that point. There are too many ways to work out discrepancies."
If he's elected on Aug. 2, Rollins said his automotive shop will remain open. He said his shop manager and wife, Cindy, who also runs the business, are prepared.
"There's a plan in place with people ready to come in to maintain the level of service now if (I'm) elected," he said.
More about the race for Cole County Assessor: