Lee To Run For Assessor As A Republican

Ray Lee, whose appointment as temporary Kootenai County assessor generated an intense political squabble last year, is running for the office as a Republican.

Lee was senior commercial appraiser in the assessor’s office for 13 years, retiring in October 1996. He is 66.

The Kootenai County Commissioners appointed Lee to the assessor’s post in December 1996 after Assessor Tom Moore died. Moore switched his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican shortly before he died and the commissioners selected Lee’s name from a list submitted by the local Republican party.

The local Democratic organization sued, saying the commissioners did not have grounds to appoint a Republican. Three months later, the Idaho Supreme Court sided with the Democrats and Democrat Marv Vandenberg was appointed to the assessor’s post.

Lee moved to Idaho in 1983 from Wickenburg, Ariz., where he was the town manager. He also worked as the city manager of Apache Junction, Ariz., and Sierra Vista, Ariz.

, DataTimes