The Tax Fight on Grays Harbor
Aberdeen taxpayers take on the state board of equalization, arguing that Chehalis County property assessments are unfairly inflated compared to the commissioner's home district.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Herald calls for a business-focused vote against candidate Win T. Forrest for state commissioner of public lands. Forrest, as a key member of the state board of equalization, recently refused to reduce Chehalis County's assessed valuations, despite a petition from local taxpayers. The report highlights a glaring discrepancy: unimproved town lots in Forrest's home county of Lewis are assessed at $1,063,307, while those in Chehalis County are pegged at $2,321,621. The paper frames the vote as a direct defense of Grays Harbor against state-level mismanagement.
“A vote for John H. McGraw means a vote against Grays Harbor.”
The perpetual tension between local property valuation, state control, and the tax burden on residents remains a central civic argument in Grays Harbor today, proving that the local battle over 'who pays their fair share' is a perennial constant.
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