"I Quit" Ticket for One Assessor for New Orleans - not Seven
New Orleans is the only city in the United States with more than one Property Tax Assessor. New Orleans has Seven. The "IQ Ticket" which stands for "I Quit" has fielded 7 candidates to run for Assessors and serve as unpaid volunteers.
For Immediate Release
/Louisiana News Articles/ - NEW ORLEANS, LA - March 08, 2006 - The IQ ("I Quit") Ticket announced that seven citizen activists will qualify today to run
against New Orleans' seven incumbent assessors.
Each candidate has signed a pledge addressed to the citizens of New Orleans to "work
tirelessly to reform the wasteful and archaic system of property tax assessments in New Orleans."
The pledge includes promises to "work to pass legislation eliminating the current seven assessor
offices and replacing them with a single citywide office," to "resign as soon as the legislation passes
and the new assessor takes office," to "work to establish a fair system of property assessments
throughout the City," to "work without compensation and [to] decline participation in the Louisiana
Assessors Retirement Program," and to "use all resulting savings to hire qualified, independent
professional real estate appraisers to administer the City's assessment system."
Each of the candidates will appear on the ballot with the nickname "I.Q." to make sure voters
know their affiliation with the IQ Ticket.
The seven IQ Ticket Candidates are:
In the First Municipal District, Maria "I.Q." Elliott.
Maria has served as the Director of Giving at Trinity Church since 1996. She has served ex-officio on the Vestry, the Finance Committee, the Long-Range Planning Committee and the Endowment Committee. She has also served on the Stewardship Commission and the Rebuilding Committee for the Episcopal Diocese
of Louisiana. She is currently an active on the board of The Episcopal Network for Stewardship and
the Conference Planning Committee for the Consortium for Endowed Episcopal Parishes. She is
a member of the choir, the Trinity music ministry and other community ministries at Trinity. For
four years, Maria and worked as a co-mentor for a local ecumenical class of Education for Ministry
sponsored by the University of the South. A native of Iowa, Maria holds a Bachelor of Arts degree
in Music and Business from Drake University. She has lived in New Orleans for twelve years and
is married to The Reverend Dr. Michael Kuhn, Head of Trinity Episcopal School. Maria and
Michael are members of the Trinity Parents Group and the Coliseum Square Association.
The First Municipal District generally includes the area between Canal and Felicity Streets,
extending from the Mississippi River to Carrollton Avenue.
In the Second Municipal District, Jackie Farnsworth "I.Q." Shreves.
Jackie is a lifelong resident of the lakefront in New Orleans. In her professional life, she served as the Development Director at the Academy of the Sacred Heart and was a former real estate agent. As a civic activist, she has served on several non-profit boards and been involved in numerous political campaigns and
legislative issues both at the state and local level. She served on the New Orleans Alcohol Beverage Control Board for ten years and served two years on the New Orleans Human Relations Commission. She was co-founder of the Parents' Coalition, an organization founded to lobby on behalf of children's issues. She is a past board member of the Volunteer and Information Agency, and currently serves on the Board of the Academy of the Sacred Heart and the Maison Hospitaliere. She is active in the Lake Vista Property Owners Association and the newly formed Lakeview Recovery Committee. She serves on the board of the Friends of City Park as membership chair and is the current chair of the 2006 Howling Success for the Louisiana SPCA. She is married to attorney Bruce Shreves and has three grown children.
The Second Municipal District generally includes the French Quarter, Treme, Mid-City and
the Lakeview area between Bayou St. John and Pontchartrain Boulevard.
In the Third Municipal District, Errol "I.Q." George.
Errol is a lifelong New Orleans resident, having lived in New Orleans East since 1976. He has a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans College of Urban and Public Affairs and currently is pursuing a Ph.D. in Urban Studies at UNO. He works as a management consultant and
urban planner. Until recently he served on the New Orleans Board of Zoning Adjustments. Prior to that, he served as a legislative aid to Representative Arthur Badon, an administrator and deputy in the office of the Constable of First City Court, and as a field representative in the office of Senator Mary Landrieu.
The Third Municipal District is New Orleans' largest assessor district. It encompasses all
of New Orleans east of Esplanade Avenue and Bayou St. John.
In the Fourth Municipal District, Chase "I.Q." Jones.
He graduated from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and obtained a Master of Science degree in Sports Management from the University of Massachusetts. Prior to Hurricane Katrina, he worked as Sponsorship Services Manager for the New Orleans Hornets. He resigned that position in order to stay in New Orleans rather than move with the team to Oklahoma City. He has previously worked as a securities trader, as the production manager for a program broadcast on ESPN2, as a marketing manager for the United States National Soccer Team's agency, and as a program evaluator for Louisiana's AmeriCorps program, which
assists charitable and educational endeavors around the state. Chase was recently married to Tricia Troyer.
The Fourth Municipal District is a triangle bounded by Felicity Street, Toledano Street and
the Mississippi River.
In the Fifth Municipal District, Ron "I.Q." Mazier.
Ron earned an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of New Orleans in 1992 and a Masters degree in Economics from Texas AandM in 1993. His studies concentrated on economic development, labor markets and real estate. After returning home, he worked for the Louisiana Department of Social Services, managing the public assistance cases of several thousand New Orleans families and individuals. Ron met with every person in his caseload. In 1998, Ron established an internet based financial information website. Active Traders Network had readership nationally and internationally and his work was documented in print and radio. Currently, Ron is broker of Lee Cole and Associates, Inc., a 23-year old real estate brokerage that serves the people of the Westbank and Greater New Orleans. Ron is married, has one child and one child on the way.
The Fifth Municipal District is composed of Algiers.
In the Sixth Municipal District, Nancy J. "I.Q." Marshall.
Nancy is a General Partner of the firm of Deutsch, Kerrigan and Stiles, L.L.P. and is a member of the firm's Managing Committee. She practices in the area of professional liability, in particular legal malpractice, and is the head of the Deutsch, Kerrigan and Stiles professional liability section. Nancy graduated from Newcomb
College of Tulane University and cum laude from Tulane Law School. She is currently studying
to obtain an L.L.M. in Environmental Law. Nancy is an active member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, and serves on the Board of St. Andrew's Episcopal School. She also serves on the Board of Crescent Academy, a school for children with learning disabilities. She is married to Steven Rosencrans and is the mother of three children.
The Sixth District encompasses the Uptown area between the River, Toledano Street and
Lowerline Street.
In the Seventh Municipal District, Charlie "I.Q." Bosworth.
Charlie first moved to New Orleans to work as a reporter/anchor at WDSU-TV. Since 1983 he has been a financial advisor. He is a member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, the Metairie Sunrise Rotary, and a board member of Xavier Preparatory School. He is also an actor and a member of the board of The Anthony Bean
Community Theater. He is married to the former Gretchen Wiegand and has four children, two of whom live in New Orleans, and one grandchild. Charlie is running on the "I Quit" Ticket, because he believes post-Katrina New Orleans can no longer afford the luxury of having seven assessors. For us to move forward he believes we must streamline our government and make our property tax system responsive to the needs of all our citizens.
The Seventh Municipal District encompasses the westernmost portion of New Orleans, from
Lowerline Street to the Jefferson Parish line, extending to Lake Pontchartrain between Pontchartrain
Boulevard and the parish line.
The "IQ Ticket" stands for the candidates pledge to quit their posts so as to allow for
legislation consolidating the assessors offices into a single elected office to become effective.
The IQ Ticket is a political action committee having the following board members: Shaun B. Rafferty,
Paul D. Cordes, Jr., David Legier, William D. Aaron, David Eustis, Arthur Sterbcow and David
Anderson.
For more information on the IQ Ticket, citizens can view its website at "iqticket.org."
For more information, contact:
Shaun B. Rafferty
Suite 250
203 Carondelet Street
New Orleans, LA 70130 New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 587-0097 (office phone)
(504) 587-9067 (fax)
(504) 343-4576 (cell phone)
srafferty@sbrlaw.com
Paul D. Cordes, Jr.
Suite 250
203 Carondelet Street
New Orleans, LA 70130 New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 587-7007 (office phone)
(504) 587-9067 (fax)
(504) 952-5830 (cell phone)
Further Related Resources:
Press Release Contact Information:
Arthur Sterbcow
IQ Ticket
Shaun Rafferty
800 Common Street
New Orleans, La
United States 70112
Voice: 504-569-9361
Website: Visit Our Website
