-Hello, my name is Al Dams and I'm running for King
County Assessor.
I was born in Seattle and have
lived here my whole life.
I currently reside in Northeast King County outside of Duvall.
I've been married for 32 years and together
we have five children.
I attended public schools and graduated from the
University of Washington.
I've served in King County Government for 32 years now and
am currently the Chief Deputy Assessor.
I know how critical the work of the Assessor's Office is.
I lead the efforts to set property values upon which your
property taxes are calculated and billed.
I also lead the review of funding requests from
taxing districts to ensure they are accurate
and lawful.
Getting it right is technical and demanding,
taking years to learn.
I've done it for 11 years as Chief Deputy Assessor.
My teams of highly trained and educated appraisers, analysts,
and technologists value 750,000 residential and commercial
properties each year.
Because of our office's high standards, professionalism,
and quality, we've earned the Certificate of Excellence in
Assessment and Administration, one of only 65 assessors
in North America to achieve this honor and one of two in our
state. No candidate in this race has the experience and
knowledge I have nor the track record reforming
the property tax system.
As Chief Deputy Assessor, I've worked to reform
exemption programs so thousands of additional
seniors are receiving tax breaks to stay in their
homes. I'm committed to expanding tax exemptions
so those of all ages are eligible.
Voters face a real choice: hand this office
to someone who must learn from scratch and risk
costly mistakes, or elect me, the person who's
been doing this work every day for more than a decade.
I'm asking for your vote to keep the office in
and experienced and proven hands.
I'm endorsed by organizations,
elected officials, and people of all backgrounds, and I'd
be honored with your vote.