County assessor

Dem. primary voters will likely pick next assessor

Challenger Aukee aims to mitigate property tax hikes, but incumbent Shinkle says county assessor’s powers are limited.

By Sophia Boyd-Fliegel

It’s not unusual to have a contested race for assessor. There have been two candidates in the Teton County general election since 2010. But this time Deputy County Attorney Zane Aukee is challenging incumbent Melissa “Mel” Shinkle in the Aug. 16 primary, as both are Democrats.

The News&Guide spoke with both candidates who want the honor — and the burden — of assessing and doling out property tax estimates.

A fresh face for a tough job

Aukee, 32, is running a reform campaign to try to lower people’s property taxes.

“No, it has not always been a dream of mine,” Aukee said of running for assessor, “I think my background and experience speaks to that.”

But in his mind, he said, transitioning from prosecutor to assessor would be simple.

“Currently I spend my days serving the public by fighting for justice in Teton County, as a prosecutor,” Aukee said, “and I want to take that kind of drive that I have to fight for the taxpayers.”

The idea came to him unexpectedly this year when he was shocked by his own assessment.

Aukee, originally from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, said he’s running on behalf of his kids, who are 1 and 2 years old.

“I want them to be able to have the same opportunity my wife and I’ve had to make a life here,” he said.

He’s seen the housing crisis grow from the mid2000s, when he first lived in the valley during college breaks.

Back then people were worried mainly about the barriers of entry to homeownership, he said. But within the last decade, and especially with the pandemic surge of buyers, the unpredictable expense has been extraordinarily burdensome to retirees and renters,

Melissa “Mel” Shinkle

too.

After earning dual degrees in business and law from the University of Montana he moved to Jackson to work as an in-house legal counsel for Teton Trust Company. In 2019 he moved to the public sector to prosecute misdemeanor and felony cases in the Teton County and Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Aukee said he doesn’t know how his process would specifically differ from incumbent Melissa Shinkle’s.

“I don’t have the same access to the data that office does because I’m obviously not in that office,” Aukee said.

The assessor, he said, can shape some decisions, such as what constitutes a neighborhood, comparable

Zane Aukee

property or the condition of a home. That’s where he said he’d try to give homeowners “the benefit of the doubt.”

But he said he wants to use the county assessor office in every way possible and within the confines of the law to mitigate growing rates and “put the brakes on” property taxes.

Up against experience

Shinkle’s worst fear is not that she’ll lose the election.

“I’ve said many times, in this last year especially, that I’m not going to run,” Shinkle said.

See COUNTY ASSESSOR on 9

"I will continue to provide a thoughtful and positive voice advocating for our public lands, as well as for all community members — not just the loudest in the room."

Vote Arne Jorgensen for Town Council Aug.16, 2022