Fresh from a win in the Republican primary, Katie Smith swore her oath of office Monday to get an early start to her term as the Warren County Assessor.

Smith is succeeding Wendy Nordwald in the assessor role after Nordwald unexpectedly resigned in June. Although Smith won’t be officially elected to office until November, she has no opponents after her victory in the primary election.

“It was fast-paced. It was fun, but a lot of hard work,” Smith said of her first time running for public office.

Smith was appointed to office Aug. 10 by the Warren County Commission, pending confirmation by Gov. Mike Parson. She will serve as “interim assessor” until her elected term officially begins in 2021.

“I think it’s going to be exciting for (Smith) to take over as our new county assessor. I feel, talking with her, that she is very up to the challenge and she’s very eager to learn,” said Presiding County Commissioner Joe Gildehaus. “There will definitely be challenges (in office). You learn something different every day.”

Smith, previously a manager in the Assessor’s Office, won broad support from voters during the Aug. 4 primary election, taking 69 percent of the vote against opponent Terry Bracht. No candidates from other political parties are running for the office, leaving her clear to take over as assessor.

It’s not a position Smith expected to find herself in three months ago. Wendy Nordwald had already signed up for reelection months before announcing her resignation. The sudden change left Smith with just a few days to decide if she wanted the job.

“It was kind of spur of the moment. ... Most people have six months to a year to plan this,” Smith commented. But in her case, “It was either sign up, or don’t. It was that fast.”

During the “interim” portion of her term, Smith said her first priority will be to fill several important positions. She plans to continue a practice learned from Nordwald, in which the entire office is involved in hiring and training staff.

“It involves all of us. We’re all a team,” Smith commented. “A field appraiser we need (most). We have to get them trained and out in the field.”

Beyond that, Smith said she wants to continue expanding assessment information available online. There will also be a lot of work in the Assessor’s Office keeping up with the large amount of residential development and other property improvements going on right now, she said.

On the horizon, Smith foresees solar power farms as the next big challenge for her office. It’s a growing topic of interest among land developers, Smith said, and a type of business that assessors here have never dealt with before.

But during all that, what won’t change is the assessor’s commitment to being open to the public. That might be the part Smith most enjoys about her job, something she has a simple philosophy for.

“Just be nice. Everything can be handled and fixed. ... Anytime somebody walks in here, I want to make sure we answer everything before they walk out the door,” Smith said.

Looking further into the future, Smith isn’t certain what will change and what will stay the same.

“I’m not sure what to expect (as assessor),” Smith said. “I’ll just come to work and be happy.”