Two newcomers vie for King County assessor seat

King County voters will select the next property assessor in November from two first-time candidates.

Dominique Scarimbolo, a Covington business owner, faces Rob Foxcurran, a Seattle city appraiser, in the general election. Foxcurran received 47 percent of the vote in the August primary, while Scarimbolo captured 19 percent. The winner will replace John Wilson, who stepped down after his ex-fiancée alleged he stalked her. The King County Council formally requested his resignation, and the Office of the Ombuds later found he violated ethics codes.

The candidates offer different approaches to the office's role in valuing all county properties. Foxcurran argues that the state's 1 percent property tax cap hinders local funding for roads, schools, and emergency services. He said the restriction forces governments to cut spending or pass frequent levies. "The 1% cap does not allow for local governments to fund those properly, inevitably leading to cuts or regularly having to pass levies, which does not feel like responsible governance," Foxcurran said.

Scarimbolo disagrees with changing the limit. "The cap is a good thing. It doesn't need to be increased," she stated. Foxcurran, who has appraised public properties for Seattle for four years, previously worked with CBRE in the private sector. He serves on the King County Board of Appeals and Equalization. He stated that his professional background will help restore trust in the department. "What I bring to the table is a degree of professionalism and knowledge that, frankly, has been completely absent from this department for 20-plus years," he said.

Foxcurran identified a universal homestead exemption as his top policy priority. He plans to lobby the state to adopt the measure, which exists in 28 other states. The exemption would lower taxes for residents living on their own land. He explained that the tool shifts the tax burden toward commercial properties. "It helps shift that balance away from residential properties and generally more toward large scale, more valuable or commercial properties, making it fair for lower income and middle income families," Foxcurran said.

Scarimbolo, who lives near Covington, co-owns The Four Horsemen brewery with her brother. The couple opened the business in 2014. She said the brewery faced zoning and licensing battles with county and state officials. Those experiences motivated her to run for assessor. "They are not good at customer service in any manner. It is a very adversarial relationship between the taxpayers and the assessor's office," Scarimbolo said. She pledged to audit the office's procedures to ensure uniform results.

Scarimbolo also wants to provide property owners with clearer information on their annual appraisals. "People should be able to get a full breakdown of their parcel, knowing exactly how it was calculated," she said. She is the president of the King County chapter of the Citizen's Alliance for Property Rights. Scarimbolo holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Washington State University. She rejected the label of anti-tax candidate. "We need to be fiscally responsible with the taxes that we generate, and we're not," she said.