Rubeck seeks election

The owner of the Fish Bowl Restaurant and Bowling Center wants to become the next Sweetwater County Assessor.

Perri Rubeck, a Republican, thinks changes need to be made in local government and in the assessor’s office.

“The assessor’s office consists of a handful of dedicated and talented employees with a hierarchy of an office manger, chief deputy and the currently appointed assessor,” he said in his campaign announcement. “Having owned and operated a number of businesses I am sure there is no need for this much management and taxpayer funded payroll to oversee the streamlined operation of this office.”

As a business owner in the county, Rubeck said he’s seen examples of government waste.

“Government waste is always passed on to the business owners and individuals in the form of taxation. The current assessor’s office is as guilty of overspending tax dollars as any office in this county,” he said.

He believes he can save more than $1 million in the next decade by eliminating the chief deputy position in the assessor’s office, believing the office to have run efficiently without a chief deputy for the past year. He also believes the chief deputy role can be fulfilled by the other employees in the office.

Rubeck also takes issue with how the office was run for the past year.

“As many of you know this office has run shorthanded for over a year, while the tax payers in this county paid a full salary to an elected official that was not held accountable to adhere to the statutory requirements of property ownership,” he said. “In my mind this is a betrayal of public trust as the currently appointed assessor did nothing to enforce these known statutory requirements. The waste and deception has gone on long enough in this office.”

Rubeck said the county is in a period of declining population and declining revenues, but claims Sweetwater County Assessor Dave Divis continues to petition the county commissioners to increase spending in the office.

“Government does not create jobs, but the liberal spending agenda of this current administration does not seem to grasp this proven concept,” he said.

If elected, Rubeck said he will have an open door policy to discuss the property assessments and valuations. He said he will review assessments and make adjustments where justifiably needed.

“As your next county assessor I will serve the public with the utmost respect while adhering to the statutory requirements of this elected position,” he said.

Rubeck was born and raised in Sweetwater County, attending both Rock Springs High School and Western Wyoming Community College. He has a bachelor of science degree in business administration from Northwest Nazarene University in Idaho. He has served as president of the Green River Spurs Soccer Club and previously coached football at Green River High School.

He has also been involved in community organizations such as the chamber of commerce.

He is married to his wife, Alicia, and they have two children together, Chezni and Stone.