James Werner - Operational Efficiency and Data Management

The intersection of art and assessment might seem unlikely, but for James Werner at the Cook County Board of Review, it's the foundation of everything he does. His journey from fine arts professor to GIS specialist reveals a fundamental truth about our profession: the most innovative solutions often come from thinking like an artist, not just a technician.

The Canvas of Data

"I'm not doing so much of the vector type drawing as I am painting with data," Werner explains, describing his approach to GIS mapping in Cook County's massive 1.8 million parcel jurisdiction. This artistic perspective transforms how we might think about assessment technology.

When Werner creates a dashboard or map, he applies the same principles he learned teaching French academic drawing at Purdue: focal points, visual hierarchy, and storytelling. "You got to have a focal point or something center of attention to catch someone's interest and maybe hold their interest," he notes. "But at some point, in art it gets so busy and it becomes uninteresting."

This insight is crucial for our field. How many times have we created reports or presentations that overwhelm rather than illuminate? Werner's approach suggests we should think less like data processors and more like visual communicators.

Breaking Down the Gates

One of the most persistent challenges in assessment offices is the tension between IT governance and operational needs. Werner describes a familiar scenario: "There's a lot of gatekeepers in technology... GIS grew up around surveyors and all those people, these technical people where assessors work, we have all this ad hoc data and we're just trying to throw stuff on the map and see how it looks."

His solution? Work around the barriers when necessary. During COVID, when locked out of official GIS systems, Werner used free ESRI accounts to build COVID data maps that eventually convinced leadership to invest in proper assessment-focused GIS tools. The lesson is clear: sometimes innovation requires creative problem-solving beyond official channels.

The Art of Operational Efficiency

Werner's background in both art and mortgage banking gives him a unique perspective on workflow optimization. "If it lives in the local government information model, you do not type it," he insists. This simple rule eliminates countless hours of redundant data entry.

He describes watching intelligent professionals repeatedly handwrite addresses or manually search for rental data: "I saw those people just writing this thing... I'm doing this thing that is ridiculous. Is there something that I could use a machine to do this for me?"

His approach to efficiency isn't about imposing rigid systems. Instead, he advocates for flexibility within structure. "I don't care if they like blue parcel lines, let them make blue parcel lines... if they like the parcel lines to be fuchsia or green, they can be whatever color they want if it's their work screen."

Gentrification and the Human Element

Perhaps the most compelling application of Werner's artistic approach is in Cook County's gentrification studies. By layering sales data, demographic information, and rental rates, his maps reveal stories that pure statistics might miss.

"We got these legacy homeowners that are trapped kind of in this market," he observes. "They certainly don't want to sell because they can't buy anything comparable." The visual representation of price-per-square-foot variations, colored by property age, immediately communicates neighborhood dynamics that would take pages of text to explain.

This human-centered approach to data visualization serves a critical purpose: ensuring assessments consider real community impacts, not just market mechanics.

The Future is Automated, But Still Human

When asked about the industry's future, Werner is clear: "It's automation, man." But he quickly adds nuance. Even with AI and automation, "you might have that one statistical anomaly or that person who provided an appraisal because their hot water heater exploded."

His vision balances efficiency with empathy. While advocating for tools that eliminate repetitive tasks, he emphasizes the irreplaceable value of human judgment in understanding context and exceptions.

Learning Through Play

Werner's advice for newcomers reflects his artistic background: "The number one thing is don't be afraid to play around with stuff." He learned GIS not through formal training but by questioning a Johns Hopkins COVID map and building his own versions to answer different questions.

This experimental mindset extends to encouraging staff to create "ridiculous" maps - even one tracking feral cats that unexpectedly showed correlation with property values. "By learning how to make that map, they could make a time-trended sales map," he explains.

Key Takeaways

Think Like a Designer: Whether creating reports, dashboards, or workflows, apply design principles. Consider your audience's visual journey through the information.

Embrace Creative Backgrounds: Non-traditional experience often provides the most innovative solutions. Werner's art training makes him see possibilities that pure tech backgrounds might miss.

Automate the Repetitive, Preserve the Human: Technology should eliminate drudgery, not judgment. Use automation to free staff for analysis and exception handling.

Lower the Barriers: If official channels block innovation, find creative workarounds. Sometimes a proof-of-concept built on free tools opens doors that requests couldn't.

Data is a Medium, Not the Message: Like paint on a canvas, data only becomes meaningful when arranged to tell a story. Focus on communication, not just compilation.

Werner's journey reminds us that assessment is both art and science. In an era of big data and AI, the assessors who thrive will be those who can paint compelling pictures with their data - turning numbers into narratives that serve both accuracy and equity.