Wallace loves working for the county citizens

TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
Rex Wallace poses with his collection of crafted bees. In his spare time, Wallace used to like to corral bees with a friend.

Rex Wallace’s trip to the position of Nodaway County Assessor was a bit of a winding one.

Wallace grew up in Maryville, graduating from Maryville High School in 1980 and attending Northwest Missouri State University, dropping out just six credits shy of a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management.

“I wasn’t really sure of what I wanted to do,” Wallace said. “I had asked for a transfer from Hy-Vee (in Maryville) to Eldora, Iowa, and they gave it to me.

“I was working there until 1986. Then it was just time to move on.”

Wallace worked in several businesses and economic sectors from then, including Goodyear, Trans-America, BF Goodrich, and Michelin before moving to Maryville to open Rex and Ralph’s Tire Service. The shop burned to the ground, however, and Wallace went to work as an auditing specialist at Orscheln’s, with his home base in Maryville. But something still wasn’t right. That’s when an old friend, then-county assessor Patrick Nelson, offered him a position.

“He told me he had a field appraiser opening,” Wallace said. “He told me it could lead to me becoming the next county assessor.”

And so, in 1997, Wallace began working as a field appraiser. In 2000, he decided to file to run against Nelson to be the county assessor, a move which cost Wallace his job.

In April of 2000, Wallace defeated Nelson in the primary election. That’s where the road started to curve.

“Unlike other offices, the county assessor term starts in September of the year after you’re elected,” Wallace said. “Other offices are sworn in January 1, but there’s a full eight months before the new assessor actually assumes the position.

“At the time, I was on city council, and you can’t hold the positions simultaneously. My plan was, if I won, I could just choose not to run in April for my seat on the city council, and someone else would take it over, making the transition easy.”

With less than three months to go before the November election, Nelson unexpectedly resigned his position as county assessor to take an appraiser position with the state assessor’s office. Then-Governor Mel Carnahan stepped in and nominated Wallace to take over, effective September 28, 2000.

Coincidentally, it was one of Carnahan’s last edicts before his death October 16. Wallace went on to defeat his Republican opponent in the general election that November.

Now on his 17th year in the office, Wallace says his job has annual cycles.

“This time of the year is the busy season, as assessment sheets were due March 1,” Wallace said. “We’re still getting them trickling in, now that we’ve sent out late notices.

“After I send out notices for property values, I hold informal hearings in May for people to contest what their property is worth. In June and July, the county commission holds BOEs, where people can argue that their property is not worth as much as I say it is. After that, if they’re still disappointed, they can appeal to the state, but in my time I’ve only had three to four BOEs and no one has appealed to the state.”

Wallace said he keeps at his job because he wants to help people.

“I’m here to make a difference for the people in the county, no matter who they are,” Wallace said. “I’ve thought about running for higher offices, but I’m not really into it.

“Plus, I have a grandson who is a year and a month old, and he’s my buddy. I get to see him each day. I don’t think I could get to do that if I did anything else.”

Wallace and his wife, Tracey, have been married 29 years. She is a fourth-grade teacher at Eugene Field Elementary School.

Wallace’s journey has spanned several positions in several fields over several states. His advice, however, is a lot simpler.

“If you can get an education, get an education,” Wallace said. “Back when I graduated high school, people were going back to earn their GEDs because it wasn’t as big of a requirement to even have a high school diploma.

“Now, in order to get a good job, you have to have a college degree. So if you get the opportunity to go to school, do it.”

Editor’s Note

This story is part of a weekly series highlighting “Everyday Heroes.” In this weekly segment, the Daily Forum takes a look at people who work tirelessly to make Maryville a great place to live. If you have a suggestion for someone who you feel should be featured, please contact us via email at [email protected] or call the Forum at 660-562- 2424.