A county assessor does not set tax rates, but the office’s annual property valuations feed into property-tax calculations. Early returns Tuesday put Rob Foxcurran ahead of brewery owner Dominique Scarimbolo in the contest to succeed King County Assessor John Wilson, who was first elected in 2015.
Foxcurran had 72% of the vote in the early returns, according to The Seattle Times. Election officials will continue counting ballots in the coming days, so the result is not final. The winner will be the county’s first new assessor in more than a decade.
The Job and the Candidates
The assessor’s office values all properties in King County each year, according to KNKX, which profiled both candidates ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. The office does not set property tax rates; assessed values help determine how a tax bill is calculated. It also administers an exemption program for low-income older homeowners and people with disabilities.
What Assessments Tell Us About Taxes
King County Assessor figures show that from 2024 to 2025, the assessed-value base for the state levy rose from $833,036,264,377 to $873,376,861,846, while the levy’s reported tax amount fell from $2,080,540,013 to $1,942,573,413. These countywide figures, reported by the King County Assessor, are not a measure of any individual homeowner’s bill and do not show how the 1% limit affected a particular household. The Washington State Department of Revenue says counties must revalue all taxable real property annually and physically inspect it at least once every six years. That statewide guidance sets out the assessment cycle, but the information here does not compare appeal timelines in King County with those in nearby counties.
Foxcurran’s appraisal work has included valuing publicly owned properties for the City of Seattle, where he has spent the last four years and now works as a senior appraiser, the station reported. He has pointed to experience in both the public and private sectors. Scarimbolo has no work experience in property appraisal. She and her brother started Georgetown brewery The Four Horsemen in 2014 and own it, according to the same account.
The Candidates’ Tax Proposals
The candidates differ over Washington’s annual 1% property tax limit. Foxcurran said he would lobby to amend it and make a universal homestead exemption a priority; that policy would exempt part of a primary home’s value from property taxes. He also supports a land-value tax, based on land rather than buildings, and has described the proposals as ways to shift the county’s tax burden toward high-value properties. Any such changes would require approval from the Washington State Legislature, the article notes.
Scarimbolo said the 1% limit should remain in place. She supports the eventual elimination of all property taxes and said she would advocate for faster homeowner valuation appeals. Washington’s revaluation statute, under RCW 84.41, distinguishes property valuation from the separate act of levying and imposing a tax.
Money and Endorsements
Foxcurran had raised nearly $76,000 by election day, with donations from labor unions, the Washington State Association of Realtors and the State Building Owners and Managers Association. He also picked up endorsements from The Seattle Times, The Stranger and the King County Democrats. Scarimbolo said she had no campaign endorsements of her own, though a local Republican Party group in the 5th Legislative District identified her as its best choice for county assessor.
Both candidates beat two other contenders in the August primary, including county chief deputy assessor Al Dams. Foxcurran took 47% of that primary vote to Scarimbolo's 19%, per KNKX's reporting. An earlier tally in early August had shown a tighter race for second place, with Scarimbolo at 19.5% and former city councilmember Chris Roberts at 19%, according to KUOW.
The Assessor’s Office After Wilson
Whoever wins will take over from John Wilson, who was first elected King County assessor in 2015 and did not run for reelection after allegations that he stalked and harassed his former domestic partner. Prosecutors charged Wilson with two counts of violating a court order last year, but KNKX reported that the charges were later dropped after his former partner declined to continue participating in the case.
