Assessor
Election Results
| Candidate | Votes | Pct |
|---|---|---|
| Vicki Horton (R) | 93,688 | 70.56% |
| Roger E. Trainor (R) | 39,095 | 29.44% |
* Race percentages are calculated with data from the Secretary of State's Office, which omits write-in votes from its calculations when there are too few to affect the outcome. The Spokane County Auditor's Office may have slightly different percentages than are reflected here because its figures include any write-in votes.
About The Race
Incumbent Vicki Horton is making her first re-election bid for assessor, running against former East Valley School Board director and private real estate appraiser Roger Trainor. Horton, who joined the Assessor’s Office as an appraiser in 2000, defeated her former boss in the 2010 election. She argued against the office paying the entirety of a contract for aerial photography, wanting other agencies to form a cooperative and foot the bill. Trainor is running on a platform of greater transparency and more streamlined property tax exemptions for the elderly and veterans. The Assessor’s Office employs a staff of 44 people who establish the property values for all property within the county: industrial, residential and commercial. Four-year term. Position pays $88,350 a year.
The Candidates
Vicki Horton
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 69
- City:
- Spokane, Washington
- Occupation:
- Spokane County assessor
VICKI HORTON
Education: Graduated from Kenai High School in Kenai, Alaska in 1972. Attended Feather River College in California and Sacramento Community College, but did not earn a degree.
Work experience: Elected Spokane County Assessor in 2010. Appraiser in Spokane County Assessor’s Office, 2000-2010. Previously worked as chief deputy appraiser and sheriff’s dispatcher in Clearwater County, Idaho.
Political experience: Horton’s 2010 run for assessor was her first run at public office.
Family: Married. Five adult children.
Roger E. Trainor
- Party:
- Republican
- Age:
- 65
- City:
- Newman Lake, WA
- Occupation:
- Certified Residential Property Appraiser
ROGER E. TRAINOR
Education: Graduated from Rogers High School in Spokane in 1976. Attained an automotive technology degree from Spokane Community College in 1979, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Eastern Washington University in 1999 and a master’s degree in public administration from EWU in 2001.
Work experience: Landlord and private real estate appraiser. Former automotive technician.
Political experience: President of the Spokane Landlord Association. Former East Valley School Board member, 2005-2013.
Family: Married.
Complete Coverage
Woman wins public records lawsuit against Spokane County
A Spokane woman unhappy with an increase in her property taxes has won a $26,325 judgment against Spokane County, which failed to provide a public record she sought as part of a series of requests. The record in question was an old website article on how to improve chances of winning a tax appeal. The county provided thousands of other documents in response to a series of public records requests and contends the failure was an oversight that was complicated by turnover in the assessor’s office.
Republicans Horton, Trainor vie for Spokane County assessor
The Spokane County Assessor’s Office places well on state tests measuring its performance despite dwindling budgets and staffing levels. Incumbent Assessor Vicki Horton, who took over the office by defeating her boss, then-Assessor Ralph Baker, in the 2010 election, credits the work of her employees for that continued level of service.