County Commissioner Phil Ballard is seeking the office of property assessor, saying he wants to extend his public service from serving the 8th District to the entire county.

Ballard, 53, a Republican, said being a commissioner makes it hard to balance a full-time job with his commission duties. Serving as property assessor would allow him to put his experience as a senior litigation specialist for a local insurance company to work, he said.

"It's a very similar background to what I already do," Ballard said.

His County Commission term expires in 2010. If Ballard wins the property assessor's post, commissioners would appoint his replacement.

At the time he filed his qualifying papers with the Knox County Election Commission, Ballard had named as his treasurer Casey Taylor, the executive secretary to current Property Assessor John Whitehead. Whitehead at that time had thrown his support behind Ballard, but he withdrew it after a falling out in November.

"I think he would do a good job," Whitehead had said early last year. "He would keep the office going without a whole lot of different changes. He would keep the office going like it's supposed to be going."

Whitehead is term-limited in 2008, and under a January Supreme Court ruling, he cannot run again after serving two or more terms. He said he began working in the property assessor's office in 1972 and he was elected property assessor in 2000.

Whitehead abruptly withdrew his support of Ballard after Ballard as a commissioner voted against a plan Whitehead favored on how to make appointments to 12 vacant county offices.

That reversal of his endorsement led to the resignation of Whitehead's chief deputy, Park M. "Parkey" Strader, a Ballard supporter.