STANWOOD CAMANO NEWS: Election 2022: Assessor candidates battle for seat

Izzie Lund profiles the candidates for Island County Assessor:

Kelly Todd Mauck, a Republican, and Theodore James Kubisiak, who does not identify with a party, are battling in the Island County assessor race to replace Bernie Upchurch, who is not running for re-election.

They Said It

Theodore Kubisiak

“I plan to create a new Appraisers Qualifications Standards manual for all new hires, so the process is standardized and streamlined,” he said. 

“Island County senior exemptions are set at $40k of annual income to qualify for the senior exemptions program. In comparison, (the) Snohomish County threshold is $60k,” Kubisiak said. “I plan to lobby our state Legislature to equalize income requirements.”

“I will ensure transparency of all operations and will be readily available to all property owners with any valuation concerns,” Kubisiak said. 

“We do not make policy, nor do we make legislative law; we follow the law and guidance from the Department of Revenue,” he said.

Kelly Mauck

“One of the most significant issues facing our residents is rising costs through inflation and increases in their taxes,” Mauck said in an email to the Stanwood Camano News. “While the assessor does not collect taxes or even decide how much is to be collected, the basis for how the property tax burden is distributed relies upon the accuracy of the Assessor’s Office.”

“I will create standardized appraiser procedures, increase training and collaboration between appraisers, assure data quality when building cost tables and promote the ongoing professional development of staff,” he said.

“I fully intend to become an accredited appraiser because in Island County, the elected is often required to perform line-level work due to staffing and frankly, I think it is important to know the job of each employee so you can better lead by example,” Mauck said. 

“As the Undersheriff I was responsible for nearly every aspect of leading the Island County Sheriff’s Office, its multimillion-dollar budgets, and supervising its 69 employees union employees. I am a high school graduate from Loveland, Colorado,” Mauck said in his email. “I attended Military Boot Camp and Advanced Electronics in the U.S. Navy after graduating high school. I have 105 college semester credit hours through Mountain State University with courses specializing in Leadership and Human Resources. I have completed hundreds of hours of in-service training throughout my career, specifically taking courses in leadership and management.”