This is part of a series of Q&As with candidates for local office in the Nov. 4 general election. This Q&A: Paul Andrews and Phil Cook, candidates for Kitsap County assessor.

The assessor is elected for a four-year term and receives an annual salary of $112,216 and benefits.

According to the assessor’s website: “The primary role of the Assessor’s Office is to establish an assessed valuation of all real and personal property for tax purposes. The assessor is required by law to assess all taxable property at 100 percent of market value. These values are used to calculate and set levy rates for the various taxing districts in the county, and to equitably distribute tax responsibility among taxpayers.

“The Assessor’s Office appraises property both by physical inspection and by market activity. Washington State Law mandates that property must be physically inspected at least once every six years, with annual review and update based on sales analysis.”

PAUL ANDREWS
Residence: Port Orchard.
Occupation: Data analyst.
Education: Degree in building design, seven years in land surveying, continuing education in data analysis and database design and maintenance.
Relevant experience: 21 years of public service in local government, the last 19 for Kitsap County in information services serving the assessor.

I am responsible for the assessor’s land data that is used in the assessment process and I also built an application that is used on appraisal staff tablets that staff members use to get information when they are out in the field.

I am active in the community as a volunteer, on the board of directors for two local non-profits, a graduate of Leadership Kitsap and 2011 volunteer of the year at Mullenix Ridge Elementary.

Q: What are the top issues in this campaign?
Andrews: Communication and transparency are top issues for the assessor. The recession shook the housing market and created a lot of uncertainty. Taxpayers need to know they have an assessor who is working for them, staying on top of the market as we start a slow recovery. By creating an environment where you know and understand how your value was determined and providing detailed information about sales in the county, citizens will see transparency in the process.

Another issue facing the next assessor is the replacement of the Land Information System (LIS). This is the backbone of the office and will be instrumental in our future success. I was involved in the replacement of the previous system that brought us the LIS and I have the knowledge and skills to implement a successful replacement.

Q: What are your priorities if elected?
Andrews: My priorities are for the office to be available a full five days a week, with expanded phone services for after hours and weekends; and to improve Parcel Search and the assessor’s website to provide more information about how values were determined and what comparable properties were used.

I will improve the appeal process with online filing, options for sharing information between the office and citizens and add a tax calculator tool.

Efficiency is important in government; I plan to review office operations and procedures and determine our needs and streamline the results. I plan to leverage existing technology; this will increase capacity, allowing us to reallocate that capacity to other value added activities without the need to increase staff.

I will continue my lobbying effort with the other assessors and our Legislature to improve the Senior Exemption Program.

Q: How would you accomplish those priorities?
Andrews: I have 19 years of experience working for Kitsap County. I know the software that is already being used and how it can be leveraged by the office. I know the data that is being created and maintained and how to use existing technology to verify correctness and improve accuracy. And I know the people who work  in the office and for other departments that support the assessor; I know their strengths and how to empower them.

I have been involved in the county’s process improvement initiatives and PEAK program and work closely with the people responsible for integrating this cultural change across county government. I have also worked with every city in the county, several state agencies and the Tribes. I  have established myself as a reliable trusted resource and have built relationships that will facilitate quick results.

Q: Regarding bipartisanship: Provide some examples of how you’ve worked cooperatively with someone of another political party to reach consensus or accomplish a goal.
Andrews: I have 21 years of experience in county government were I have been working across party lines for the good of the taxpayers. A good public servant does not let party affiliation affect their job. I have supported all requests indifferent to their party.

For the last 16 years, I have been providing services and support to Jim Avery’s (R) assessor’s office. His staff needed an application that they could use when out of the office that would provide vital information about properties being assessed. The app I built has been very successful and Jim credits this technology for allowing him to responsibly manage the office staffing levels. As a result of my efforts, Jim Avery has endorsed me, saying that I was the “most  qualified candidate for this job.”

Q: What experience do you have that makes you the most qualified for the position you seek?
Andrews: Being the assessor requires a balance of knowledge and experience along with the desire to be a public servant. I have a degree in building design that provides me with a vital understanding of construction and quality. I have work experience as a land surveyor that gives me detailed knowledge of the land system that governs properties in Kitsap County along with the ability to analyze in detail how properties are affected. My work for both Pierce and Kitsap counties in technology, serving the assessor, gives me direct practical knowledge and experience of the daily operations of an assessor’s office.

I have demonstrated an ability to effectively serve the citizens of Kitsap County and a desire to see that it is done with the highest standards. This translates into being able to hit the ground running with knowledge of the office and the properties they manage, the ability to ask the right questions the first time, and the skills to lead this very complex office.

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PHIL COOK
Residence: Silverdale.
Occupation: Mortgage consultant and property manager.
Education: Master’s of public administration, M.Ed., B.A.
Relevant experience: Mortgage consultant with New American Funding in Poulsbo and property manager in Kitsap County. Previous sales manager for a Fortune 500 mortgage company. Previous operations manager for a manufacturing firm, assistant to a city manager, high school teacher and coach.

Q: What are the top issues in this campaign?
Cook: The biggest challenge for the Assessor’s Office is deciding what level of customer service will be provided to the public in the coming years. We have an incredible opportunity to improve how this office of government works for the citizens of Kitsap County.

I believe the office needs to improve its communication with the public as well as better educate the public about the assessment process. The accuracy of the assessment process also needs to be addressed if the office hopes to serve the public more efficiently and effectively.

Q: What are your priorities if elected?
Cook: I will make customer service my main priority by improving communication with the public about their assessments, working to better educate the public about how the assessment process works and, lastly, improving the accuracy of the assessment process.

No property owner should ever question why or how their value changed. The office should provide the property owner with information explaining how their value was determined and what the overall trend is.

The office also needs to better utilize resources to educate the public about how the process works, why it is done in this manner and make sure that our property owners are aware of the different deferral and exemption programs that are available to them.

Lastly, the office needs to better utilize technology to improve how it assesses property. The office needs to work collaboratively with other government offices and the private sector to make sure that the assessment process is being completed as accurately as possible. The online resources available to the public should also be improved for the benefit of all citizens and businesses that rely on the assessor’s data.

Q: How would you accomplish those priorities?
Cook: I have a coalition of bipartisan support from not just commercial and residential property owners, brokers, builders, developers, and others within the business community, but also current and former government officials.

We will work to bring private-sector professionals together with our government professionals through an advisory council whose purpose will be to help find solutions that will improve the accuracy of the assessment process as well as communicate and educate the public.

I will also be looking to the public for their feedback about how they feel the process can be improved. All too often government thinks it has all of the answers, however when we come together in search of creative solutions, we will accomplish our objectives and that will benefit our county as a whole.

Q: Regarding bipartisanship: Provide some examples of how you’ve worked cooperatively with someone of another political party to reach consensus or accomplish a goal.
Cook: While I have never served as an elected official, I have worked in the private sector with individuals and customers from all political backgrounds to accomplish numerous objectives. I did previously work for a city manager where I did have to deal with the city council on a regular basis.

The Assessor’s Office does not set policy, and therefore I believe that an important issue in the future will be how we improve the office for the benefit of ALL of Kitsap County’s property owners.  I will always be receptive to new and different ideas and will encourage everyone to bring them forward to me.  This office isn’t about politics; it is simply about doing what is right for those that call Kitsap home.

Q: What experience do you have that makes you most qualified for the position you seek?
Cook: I bring a diverse background of formal and hands-on education and work experience from both the private and public sectors. I have already spent more than a decade assisting countless numbers of homeowners in Kitsap better understand their property tax obligations.

This office impacts so many within the community and because of my time spent focusing on customer service and assisting our property owners, I already have a good idea as to what improvements the public would like to see.

My ability to bring people together to find common ground and to find common-sense solutions to the challenges the office is currently facing is what sets me apart from my opponent.