Maricopa County is the fourth biggest county in the U.S. by population, and real estate is a huge industry in metro Phoenix.Republican Eddie Cook is currently the Maricopa County Assessor and is campaigning for the job that has a four-year term. Democrat Greg Freeman is running against him this November.The assessor’s primary function is to locate and appraise properties at market value, and those parcels are then taxed based on that value. The state agency tracks more than 1.8 million property parcels valued at over $1 trillion.Cook, elected in 2020, was on the Gilbert Town Council from 2011-20. He worked in the tech industry before becoming the county assessor.Freeman has worked in the real estate industry for more than a decade as an escrow officer, notary, leasing agent and construction manager. He is also on the North Mountain and Deer Valley zoning commissions.The Arizona Republic asked both candidates to answer three questions on county issues and their priorities as Maricopa County’s assessor. Here’s what they had to say, in alphabetical order. Answers have been edited for clarity and conciseness.Why do you want this job?Eddie Cook: I desire to continue to focus and lead the office to be an advocate for the property owner. I want the Assessor’s Office to continue to provide best-in-class, business-friendly customer service that is caring and respectful and provides clear communications and education. Under my leadership, I will continue to set the standard for my office to do the “right thing” on behalf of the property owner. Arizona’s property tax statutes are some of the most complex in the country. I want to continue fighting for the property owner at the Legislature. My office has run six legislative bills that have become Arizona property tax law to help simply provide clarity, improve disability exemptions for senior citizens and veterans, and flexibility for businesses. My plan is to run additional legislative bills in the upcoming legislative session to continue our efforts to fight against title fraud, increase the number of senior citizens qualifying for personal exemptions and provide stronger statutory property tax definitions to eliminate frivolous property tax lawsuits.If reelected, I will be able to provide continuing education to our Legislature, city and town councils and governing school boards about Arizona property tax statutes. My priority is that the Assessor’s Office serves everyone fairly and equitably without politics. I’m in the business of building a positive community that supports families and businesses.Greg Freeman: I believe that the housing situation in the greater Phoenix area is one of the greatest issues before us today and is a large factor in the severe uptick in homelessness that we have seen. I want to do everything possible to address the tremendous shortfall in housing that we face.I have worked on this issue at the local level in the nonprofit space and by serving on two local zoning committees near my home in Phoenix. The county assessor plays an integral role in solving this issue for everyone in Maricopa County, and the occupant of this office will help shape the county that we live in for decades to come.I want to be a part of building the houses, roads, schools and infrastructure we need for our growing county. I want to see our public schools properly funded so that all our children in Maricopa County can receive the same great education. What is the biggest challenge facing the Maricopa County assessor?Cook: The Maricopa County Assessor’s Office is a multi-million-dollar business that requires the assessor to have executive leadership experience. I have 300 full-time team members that have various levels of expertise and critical skills who provide a best-in-class customer service experience by providing a fair and equitable valuation of all taxable property in Maricopa County without favor or partiality.When I became the assessor, I began the transformation of the office by implementing a “one team” culture that recognizes the gifts and talents of each team member, promotes integrity, character and civility, fosters a sense of purpose, builds trust and respect, creates transparency, improves communications, leading to more innovation, while developing effective and efficient processes.Another significant challenge I have faced was the modernization of our business software system. I inherited a customized software solution that was over 10 years in the making at the cost of $20 million. With my professional technical expertise knowing how to get the project back on track, we successfully migrated decades of data from the old system onto the new world-class flagship software. The Maricopa County Assessor’s Office is now known as the technology industry leader. Freeman: The number one problem facing the Maricopa County Assessor’s Office right now is a lack of communication and trust. The role of the Assessor’s Office is to correctly assess the taxes that fund the financial foundation of our schools, rural fire departments, Sheriff’s Office, community colleges and many other important services. Many assessments were not correctly performed, which has resulted in a sudden and dramatic $330,000,000 bill being given to those same institutions that relied on this office for their funding.It is the job of the county assessor to assess things correctly and immediately communicate what happened to those affected by its mistakes.I will be the Maricopa County assessor who proactively reaches out to the community, and I will ensure that the staff of the Assessor’s Office does the same. What principles would guide the actions of the Assessor’s Office under your leadership?Cook: The Assessor’s Office suffered tremendous turmoil due to the previous assessor’s criminal indictment. I’ve successfully restored and returned honor and public trust to the office. The core principles guiding the actions of the office under my leadership include courage, character, integrity, honesty, compassion, excellence and fairness. I lead my office to always do what is right, be honest, accurate and transparent with property owners, the public, and our team about our work and how it is performed.I guide my team to ensure fair and equitable property valuations to support the collection of property taxes that are essential funding for valuable community resources. I continually challenge my team to work collaboratively with civility, respect and compassion, and be hard-working, dedicated, and best-in-class public servants while conducting all business to the highest quality and providing a superior customer experience. Together, we will continue to implement practical and effective solutions that improve our workflow, processes and the lives of our team members and the public we serve.I’ve made it my mission to ensure that fairness, equity, and respect are present in every aspect of our business to secure best-in-class customer service. I’ve successfully accomplished this by continuing to innovate and anticipate the community’s changing needs and embracing the latest technology while creating a workplace that inspires and empowers our team to perform at the highest level. I truly am grateful that the public has trusted me to hold this very important elected office now and into the future.Freeman: My administration will be primarily guided by the principles of accountability, service and integrity. The Maricopa County assessor has the responsibility to correctly assess more than $5.5 billion of taxable value every year and to make that information easily accessible to the people who need it.The Assessor’s Office is accountable for correctly assessing property owners and accurately funding the governmental agencies that depend on it. I will make sure that the Assessor’s Office properly serves the people of Maricopa County so the people get what they need in the way that they need it. The assessor deals with issues that are central to all of us: our money and our homes. I will make sure that the work entrusted to the office is performed to the highest standards. It is of vital importance that it is done with integrity and with the trust of the public.Reach the reporter at catherine.reagor@arizonarepublic.com.
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