{"id":567,"date":"2026-05-26T22:08:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T22:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=567"},"modified":"2026-05-26T22:08:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T22:08:26","slug":"nick-spinner-contra-costa-county-assessor-candidate-answers-bay-area-news-groups-primary-questionnaire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=567","title":{"rendered":"Nick Spinner, Contra Costa County assessor candidate, answers Bay Area News Group\u2019s primary questionnaire"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>Ahead of the June primary election, the Bay Area News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates for Contra Costa County assessor. You can find the full questionnaire below. Questionnaires may have been edited for spelling, grammar, length and clarity.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=566\">Kismat Kathrani, Contra Costa County assessor candidate, answers Bay Area News Group\u2019s primary questionnaire<\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can read our endorsement in this race here soon.<\/p>\n<p>To read our endorsements for other important Bay Area races click here.<\/p>\n<p>Name: Nick Spinner<br \/>\nCurrent job title: Information Systems Programmer \/ Analyst IV<br \/>\nDate of birth: January 30, 1987<\/p>\n<p>Political party affiliation: N\/A<br \/>\nOther political positions held: Board of Directors for the Crocket Community Services District<br \/>\nCity where you reside: Crockett<\/p>\n<p><b>What are the top three problems you\u2019re seeking to solve if elected assessor?<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span> Fix inefficient workflows that waste time and slow service (Year 1)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span>I\u2019ll work with staff to identify the tasks that create the most frustration and delay, then prioritize quick, practical fixes that improve turnaround time and accuracy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span> Digitize records and stop creating unnecessary paper<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span>I\u2019ll implement proven digitization practices already used in other county departments, set an annual digitization target and move toward keeping paper only where required by law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<ol>\n<li><span> Build and execute a long-term plan to transition off the legacy mainframe\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span>I\u2019ll develop a realistic 10-year migration plan and pursue a phased approach based on cost-benefit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why are you uniquely qualified to address the three problems you\u2019ve identified above?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>I have the rare combination of hands-on experience with the assessor\u2019s actual systems and workflows, a track record of delivering modernization and transparency projects in county government and proven leadership turning around a struggling public agency. First, I\u2019ve spent the last 12 years as a Contra Costa County systems engineer supporting the property tax and assessment ecosystem. Second, I\u2019ve recently led work in transparency, responsible AI adoption and digital accessibility. Third, I\u2019ve demonstrated results-focused leadership under real operational pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What differentiates you from your competitors for this seat?<\/b><\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>I combine deep, inside-the-system experience with the urgency, independence and vision to improve performance and rebuild trust \u2014 rather than simply maintain the status quo. First, I have 12 years of experience inside Contra Costa County government working directly on the property tax and assessment ecosystem. Second, I\u2019m running to lead, not just administer. The assessor has to follow state and county law \u2014 but that\u2019s the baseline. The opportunity in this office is to set clear operational direction: customer service standards, modernization priorities, transparency practices, staff support and performance accountability. Third, I\u2019m offering independent leadership focused on restoring public trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What did Gus Kramer do right as assessor?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2013 Communicated clearly and stood out politically: He was effective at getting attention in a low-visibility office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2013 Leaned into Proposition 8 declines during downturns: When market values fell, he emphasized lowering assessed values as required under Prop. 8.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=565\">Genny Altwer, candidate for San Jose City Council District 9, answers Mercury News primary questionnaire<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2013 Defended the office\u2019s independence: He was willing to take criticism from the Board of Supervisors and frame it as the assessor doing the job under state law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2013 Strong assessment accuracy performance: Under his tenure, the office earned one of the higher assessment accuracy ratings in the state.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>What did Gus Kramer do wrong as assessor?<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>His tenure was marked by:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2013 Ethics and disclosure controversies related to his personal real estate dealings and repeated questions about the completeness and timeliness of required filings, which created an appearance of conflict problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2013 Serious workplace misconduct allegations, including harassment\/retaliation and hostile work environment claims that led to investigations and litigation and harmed morale and public trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u2013 Recurring public disputes and credibility issues, including ongoing conflict with other parts of county government and campaign finance reporting\/enforcement problems \u2014 distractions that critics argue pulled focus away from the core mission of fair, accurate assessments and responsive public service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Who are the three biggest contributors to your campaign? Why are they donating to your campaign?\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span> Domino Sugar \/ C&amp;H Sugar \u2014 $2,500 (maximum)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span>They are donating because they\u2019ve seen my leadership and follow-through firsthand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span> Shauna Hawes \u2014 $200<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span>A family friend and retired elementary school teacher.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span> Sarita Cooper \u2014 $100<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span>A family friend and retired middle school science teacher.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Please tell us anything about you that would help inform our judgment of your candidacy.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>If elected, I will work to restore public trust through transparency, clear service standards, ethical independence and decisions that are made in the public interest. I bring 12 years of experience inside Contra Costa County government working on the property tax and assessment systems residents and local agencies rely on. My leadership style is collaborative and respectful of workers. I also plan to keep a clear separation between me and individual property assessments. Finally, I\u2019m an Eagle Scout, and I\u2019ve carried those values \u2014 service, responsibility and doing the right thing even when it\u2019s hard \u2014 throughout my career in public service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=563\">Gordon Chester, candidate for San Jose City Council District 9, answers the Mercury News primary questionnaire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read Nick Spinner\u2019s full questionnaire and tech-driven platform for the Contra Costa County assessor primary election<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opinion"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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