Nutter introduces new chief property assessor

Richie McKeithen wasn't afraid to question a boss who asked him to lower a property assessment in Richmond, Va.

The question now is whether McKeithen, introduced Wednesday by Mayor Nutter as his choice to be the city's new chief assessor, can be as tough in Philadelphia, where the politics are arguably a lot rougher.

"I would like to establish an office of assessment that has integrity, one that is transparent, and one that sets fair and equitable values," McKeithen said at a City Hall news conference Wednesday afternoon.

McKeithen, who will be paid between $130,000 and $140,000 if City Council approves him for the post, offered few details about his plans, saying he would first focus on winning Council's support. Nutter said that he would send McKeithen's nomination to Council tomorrow and that he hoped its members would approve his nominee before the current session ends June 17. Nutter wants McKeithen to start the job July 1.

McKeithen is the head of the District of Columbia's property-assessment operation, where he oversees all property assessments and handles numerous other duties he will not have to shoulder in Philadelphia. But his task in Philadelphia is enormous. He must create an entirely new assessment office out of the ashes of the Board of Revision of Taxes, while also managing a switch from the BRT's antiquated assessment model to a new system.

The BRT was rife with charges of political favoritism, so McKeithen also must transform it into a professional operation whose valuations taxpayers can trust. This process likely will raise taxes for many homeowners, making McKeithen and his assessors a likely target for residents' rage.

The mayor and his staff said McKeithen already has proved that he has the necessary backbone for the job.

McKeithen, 46, earned a master's degree in business administration from Morgan State University and a bachelor's degree in business management from Hampton University. He holds a graduate certificate in real estate and urban development from Virginia Commonwealth University, and certified general appraiser licenses from the District of Columbia and Virginia.