In 2007, Gov. Matt Blunt appointed Chris Estes to be the Cole County Assessor when then-Assessor Shawn Ordway went to the Missouri Tax Commission.
Chris Estes
Estes and his wife are members of the Historic City of Jefferson group, and they have enjoyed renovating homes in the past. The couple received the Historic City of Jefferson Gold Award after renovation of his late grandmother's home. Estes is a member of on the Lions Club and was once on the Missouri State Penitentiary Committee. In his spare time, he enjoys woodworking.He was the sole Republican candidate in the 2008 primary election for the spot, later defeating Democrat Bunnie Trickey Cotton in the general election with a little more than 56 percent of the votes. Unopposed in 2012, Estes retained his seat as county assessor for a second full term.
Now, he's running against business owner Greg Rollins, also a Republican, in this year's run for assessor.
From 1991-2001, Estes served as a Jefferson City Police Department officer. A ruptured disc in his back ended that career, and then he went to the Missouri Division of Employment Security where he investigated fraud and unemployment claims. In and out of the construction trade for 15 years, Estes has operated his own business as a general contractor for five years.
Estes said his background made him the right person for the position nine years ago, and it still does today.
As a police officer and claims investigator, Estes said his job was to read, interpret and enforce the laws.
"A certain part of this job does involve that because I have to follow state statutes, federal laws and any relevant court decisions that apply to this job. ... It also gave me experience with applying the law fair and equitably because everybody has to be treated the same," Estes said. "The law's applied evenly to everybody."
When Estes took over as the assessor, one of his first tasks was to lead the office in reviewing all tax-exempt property in Cole County, which totaled to about 770 parcels. By reading law and court cases, Estes said he discovered some land was not supposed to be exempt and put it on the books. The entire process took about two years.
Estes said the role of county assessor is "not a popular position because people don't like to pay taxes," so it's his duty to ensure no one is overtaxed or under-taxed "and no group is caring the burden of another group."
"My motto is fair and equal - fair assessments and equal treatment," he said.
Cole County ratio studies, which compare how a house sold and its value on the assessor's books, have been in the top four for Missouri for the past eight years, Estes said.
Generally speaking, Estes said without a background in law, real estate, construction or banking, it would be difficult for someone to fill the role as county assessor.
"If someone with no background came in here to do this job, it would probably take them their entire first term just to start to get a handle on things," he said. "I tell you, I still learn things every day."
He stressed the assessor position is a full-time job. In his first three years, Estes said he didn't take a vacation and averaged working 55-60 hours per week.
Estes has butted heads with the Cole County Commission over advertisements and use of the "assessment fund," which landed Estes and the commission in court. The judge ruled in favor of the commission, but Estes stands by his decision to pursue legal action.
"I filed suit because I felt we weren't following the law," he said.
More about the race for Cole County Assessor: