Lancaster envisions transparent assessor's office

EPHRATA — Norm Lancaster wants to become the next assessor, and he is planning to dedicate himself to keeping pace with Grant County's rapid growth and promising to efficiently deliver the information real estate professionals need.

In the last four years, the assessor's office succeeded implementing information technology and ensuring deadlines are met, Lancaster said. Still, appraisers and brokers, he said, need more information to be available on the county's Web site, faster.

Lancaster, of Moses Lake, a Grant County resident since 1971, is running as a Republican. He works for Bishop Spray Service, doing pest inspections, he said.

"I see a lot of houses everyday, in a lot of areas, and I see the growth," he said, which motivated him to run for the assessor's office. "We work with the inspectors and appraisers, and I feel it's something I can do, and help out with the growth that's coming to the area."

He's running against incumbent County Assessor Laure Grammer, also a Republican, who is serving her first term. The winner of the Sept. 19 primary decides the race, with no Democratic contender.

For tax purposes, the Grant County assessor's office establishes fair market value on all property, through physical inspection, at least once every four years. The office maintains maps representing the boundaries of each of the approximately 61,570 parcels in Grant County. The assessor records and updates the legal description and ownership of every piece of property. The assessor has a staff of 18 people.

Lancaster believes he's qualified for the position, pointing to 16 years experience in business management, dealing with employee relations, including both hiring and training.

"It's an office that deals with numbers, and tax numbers that's given to it," he said. "So it's the management of the numbers, more than it is coming up with those numbers."

His educational background, he said, which includes seven years of college and a business degree, allows him to succeed.

"I feel like I can bring my knowledge, with working with Bishop, and my education, and do a good job in that office," he said.

If elected, he expects voters to learn he is an honest public servant. He'll prove he can get the job done, he said, and he won't be just a politician.

"I'd like it to be a completely transparent agency, as much as the law will allow," Lancaster said.