King County Assessor
Meet the Candidates
Rob Foxcurran
Rating: Aligned
voterobfoxcurran.com
Dominique Scarimbolo
Rating: Somewhat aligned
domscarimboloforassessor.com
Question 1
If elected King County Assessor, what are your priorities for the job and how does your previous experience prepare you for fulfilling these duties?
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Rob Foxcurran
My priorities are accuracy, transparency, and affordability. Everything the office does depends on values that are right and defensible. That means modern mass appraisal tools, quality data, well-trained appraisers, and consistent standards for every property type, from single-family homes to downtown office towers. Transparency means taxpayers can see how their value was reached and resolve questions before they become appeals. Affordability means running exemption and deferral programs so every eligible senior, disabled veteran, and low-income homeowner actually gets the relief the law provides.
I am a Washington State Certified General Appraiser and a Senior Appraiser for the City of Seattle, where I manage appraisal consultants and review complex commercial valuations. For three years I served as a Hearing Examiner on the King County Board of Appeals and Equalization (BoAE), deciding appeals where the Assessor’s value and the owner’s evidence did not agree. I have also worked as an appraisal consultant on Sound Transit’s ST3 program, and in downtown property management at Commonwealth Partners and the Vance Corporation. I have seen assessment from the owner’s side, the government’s side, and the adjudicator’s chair.
Dominique Scarimbolo
My priorities are accurate, consistent property valuations; a transparent assessment process; and an appeals system people can actually navigate. Property owners should be able to understand how their value was determined, see the data behind it, correct errors, and receive a timely, meaningful review. I would examine how the office values vacant land and properties with unusual conditions, improve the information available to owners, and make sure staff have the tools and direction to apply standards consistently.
I bring the perspective of both a business owner and a property owner who has worked through the assessment and appeals process firsthand. At Four Horsemen Brewery, I manage finances, operations, records, and complex regulatory matters. As president of the King County chapter of Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights, I have helped residents examine assessments and navigate appeals. My experience managing a larger operation and serving as a union shop steward taught me to lead teams, solve problems, and stand up for people when a process is not working.
The Assessor’s job is to value property fairly under the law and be accountable to the public. I would approach it with a willingness to test the data, fix errors, listen to property owners and staff, and measure the office by its results.
Question 2
What is your philosophy about the appropriate role of the assessor in policy debates? How would you balance administering the law fairly and objectively while considering changes to property-tax policy?
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Rob Foxcurran
The Assessor’s first duty is to value property accurately under the law, whatever anyone thinks of the resulting tax bill. Assessed value should never be used as a policy tool. Lowering values to deliver relief just shifts the burden to other owners and erodes trust in the whole system.
That does not mean staying silent. The Assessor sees how the system works on the ground better than almost anyone, and I think sharing that expertise with the Legislature is part of the job. The line I draw is simple: advocate openly for changes in law, and administer the law as written until it changes.
As a Hearing Examiner on the BoAE, I reviewed cases on the evidence and the statute, even when I was sympathetic to an owner facing a hard increase. If the evidence supported the value, I upheld it. If the Assessor’s value was not supported, I recommended a change. Personal views did not enter into it.
On the advocacy side, I wrote an op-ed in The Urbanist laying out specific reforms, including a state homestead exemption, a renter tax credit, and changes to the 1% levy growth cap. I made that case in public, with the tradeoffs stated, as a practitioner explaining why the current system is not working. As Assessor I would keep those two roles clearly separate and be upfront with the public about which one I am speaking in.
Dominique Scarimbolo
The Assessor is an elected public servant accountable to the people. That means more than administering assessments and staying silent when a policy places an unfair burden on property owners. I believe the Assessor should enter policy debates, challenge the status quo, and fight for changes that reduce tax burdens, protect due process, and bring the system into alignment with our state constitution.
I have taken that approach as president of the King County chapter of Citizens’ Alliance for Property Rights. After working through my own appeals, I requested public records on assessment and appeal practices and examined how vacant land values are tested for consistency. I have raised questions about whether taxpayers receive the information and timely review they need to challenge an assessment.
That advocacy must go hand in hand with fair administration of the law. I would apply the rules in effect consistently, base valuations on evidence, and treat every property owner equally regardless of their politics or whether they agree with me. When a law or practice needs to change, I would say so openly, show the data behind my position, and work with lawmakers and the public to change it through the proper process. Voters elect an Assessor to lead and answer to them; I would use that office to advocate for a fairer system.
Question 3
The Downtown Seattle Association represents a significant concentration of commercial real estate, but office property values have declined substantially in recent years. How should the assessor approach rapidly changing commercial property values while ensuring that assessments remain uniform, equitable, and consistent with state law?
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Rob Foxcurran
The law is clear: property is assessed at 100% of true and fair value as of January 1. When the office market moves, assessments have to move with it, in both directions, and on the evidence rather than on pressure from any side.
For downtown office, that means leaning on the income approach with current data: actual rents and concessions, vacancy, operating expenses, and capitalization rates that reflect today’s buyers and lenders. Sales are thin and often distressed, so each one needs careful verification before it drives a model. Values should be tested with ratio studies by property type and location, so we can show that office, retail, multifamily, and residential are all being assessed fairly and accurately. Area reports should explain the assumptions in plain terms so owners can see how their value was reached.
Early in my career I worked in downtown property management at Commonwealth Partners and the Vance Corporation, and interned with BOMA Seattle King County. I learned how office buildings actually operate, which provided a strong foundation for my career as a commercial real estate appraiser. As a Hearing Examiner on the BoAE, I heard commercial appeals where the Assessor’s model lagged what was happening in the market. The fix in those cases was better income data and clearer methods, not a thumb on the scale. Uniformity cuts both ways: office should not carry values the market will not support, and no one else should absorb the difference.
Dominique Scarimbolo
When office values change rapidly, assessments must follow the market evidence. I would have the office examine recent sales, rents, vacancies, operating costs, and capitalization rates, then update assumptions that no longer reflect what buyers would pay as of the January 1 valuation date. The same methods should be applied consistently to comparable buildings, with adjustments for meaningful differences.
My own property appeal shaped this approach. I checked the county’s descriptions of comparable parcels against GIS records and found questions about access and environmental conditions that affected the comparison. That experience taught me to look beyond a model’s final number and test the facts and assumptions behind it. I would expect the same rigor when reviewing commercial valuations, especially in a changing market.
I would publish the market evidence and key assumptions behind commercial assessments, check results for inconsistent treatment, and give owners a timely opportunity to provide property-specific evidence. I would not hold office values artificially high to protect the tax revenue. Every assessment should reflect the property’s market value under state law and be explainable to the taxpayer.
Question 4
What are some examples of technology or technical innovations you would bring to the Assessor’s Office, and how would they improve accuracy, efficiency, transparency, or the taxpayer experience?
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Rob Foxcurran
Accurate mass appraisal depends on the tools behind it. My first technology priority would be the Computer Assisted Mass Appraisal (CAMA) system, the software behind nearly every value the office produces. I would start with an independent audit of the current system: how well it supports accurate models, how it manages data, what it costs to maintain, and whether it can grow with the office. That audit should answer a basic question: should the County turn to the private sector for its CAMA software, or continue developing the next generation in-house? I would make that call on the evidence, including what past investment has actually delivered.
More broadly, I would push for modernization and efficiency across the office, so appraisers spend less time on manual work and more on analysis and customer service. For taxpayers, that means easier access to information, clearer explanations of how values are set, and faster answers.
Dominique Scarimbolo
I would start with a public, searchable assessment map. Taxpayers could filter parcels by location, assessed-value range, property type, lot size, and recent sales, then compare the results as pins on a map. Clicking a parcel would show its recorded characteristics, valuation history, and the evidence and adjustments behind its assessment. Owners could flag incorrect facts and track their correction.
My own property appeals showed me why this matters. I had to examine parcels individually and compare county records with GIS maps to investigate differences in access and environmental conditions. A searchable map and connected records would make that work faster for both taxpayers and appraisers.
Inside the office, I would use automated checks to flag incorrect property data and valuations that stand out from comparable parcels, including vacant land. I would also improve the online appeals portal so owners can submit evidence, see what the office relied on, and track their case in one place. My experience navigating that process has shown me how much time is lost when information is difficult to find. These tools would help staff catch errors earlier and give taxpayers a practical way to test whether their assessments are fair.
Question 5
Would you support/advocate for property tax reforms such as a homestead exemption for primary residences (or a land value tax) that could have the effect of shifting the property tax burden more towards commercial property owners (or undeveloped land)? Why or why not?
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Rob Foxcurran
Yes, I support a state homestead exemption. The proposal I have backed would exempt the greater of $100,000 or 60% of the county median home value from the state property tax levy, paired with a renter tax credit.
I want to be direct about the tradeoff. Because Washington’s system is based on the amount of revenue taxing districts need to raise, an exemption for primary residences shifts part of the tax burden onto other property, including commercial property and higher-value homes. That tradeoff is real and should be debated openly, with the numbers on the table. I support the proposal because a majority of states already provide homestead relief, and homeowners on fixed incomes are increasingly struggling to remain in homes they own outright. Any proposal should be carefully modeled before implementation.
I see a land value tax as a longer-term concept worth studying, not an immediate policy change. In the near term, I would be concerned about its potential effects on our local economy.
Whatever the Legislature decides, my role as Assessor would be the same: value all property accurately and consistently under the law as written.
Dominique Scarimbolo
I support exploring a homestead exemption and other ways to help people stay in their primary homes. But relief should be part of a broader effort to reduce the overall property tax burden, not just shift it to another group of owners. That requires a serious look at spending, fiscally responsible budgets, and whether every property is being valued equitably and uniformly.
I would evaluate a land value tax by its real effects, not its label. Through my own vacant-land appeals, I have seen how access, development restrictions, and other conditions can sharply affect a parcel’s value and use. Any proposal that places more weight on land must account for those differences and show clearly who would pay more.
As Assessor, I would bring assessment data and taxpayers’ experiences into these discussions. I would ask whether a reform delivers lasting relief, whether it treats property owners fairly, and whether the values used to distribute the tax burden are accurate. My goal is a system that people can afford and trust, across residential, commercial, and undeveloped property.