Vickie Downs, Rick Lussy, James Molenaar, and Julian Stokes, Jr., will face off in a closed primary election to be the Republican Party candidate for Collier County Property Appraiser.
Collier County residents who are registered Republicans on July 22 will choose among the four candidates on August 20. The candidate who receives the most votes wins. All voters will then decide between the winner of the primary and write-in candidate Darren Dione Aquino in the general election in November.
The write-in, or “ghost” candidate, had the effect of shutting out registered Democrats and other party-affiliated voters unless they switch to register as Republicans by a July 22 deadline ahead of the primary. Despite the write-in candidate, the race will almost certainly be decided in August.
What Does a Property Appraiser Do?
The Property Appraiser is one of Collier County’s five independently elected constitutional officers. He/she is responsible for determining the value of all real and personal property in Collier County, maintaining property ownership records and parcel ownership maps, and administering state tax exemptions such as the homestead and the nonprofit exemptions. Learn more at County Constitutional Officers: a Sparker’s Soapbox Primer.
Very Different Choices
The four candidates offer very different choices.
Vickie Downs is Collier County’s Deputy Property Appraiser. She has been endorsed by incumbent Appraiser Abe Skinner, who chose not to run for another term. Downs has over three decades of experience in the office and, other than wanting to upgrade the office’s website and GIS (Geographic Information System), gives the most important functions of the office an A grade. (Soapbox Questionnaire)
Rick Lussy, an appraiser for 40+ years, rates the current Appraiser’s Office operation a D. He says its field and office staffs are untrained. He also objected to its denial of a petition for portability of a Homestead/Save Our Homes exemption for a property in Marco Island. (Soapbox Questionnaire) He ran unsuccessfully for this position in 2016 and again in 2020 after running unsuccessfully for Property Appraiser six times in Martin County, FL. He also has a history of filing lawsuits, as explained below.
James Molenaar, self-employed since 2022, is a licensed practicing attorney, certified internal auditor, and certified fraud examiner. He joined the Collier Clerk of Courts and Comptroller’s office in 2014 as manager of internal audit to then-Clerk Dwight Brock and was promoted to senior legal counsel in 2018 by Brock’s successor, Crystal Kinzel. After filing to run against Kinzel for the post in 2020, he was fired “to mitigate any conflict” and subsequently lost the election. He was nearly hired to be Collier School Board Attorney in 2023.
Julian Stokes Jr. has worked in the real estate appraisal business with Integra Realty Resources—Southwest Florida since 2008. He says the Collier County Appraiser’s current GIS needs a “complete scrub” and that he has several people who can help him implement a new one. He wants to address the technology gaps and improve efficiency in the areas of the tax roll and customer relations. Based on what he says is a greatly over-stated assessed value of his home, he gives the office’s assessment function an F. (Soapbox Questionnaire)
In This Post
In this post, you will find the following information to help you learn more about the candidates:
- Candidate websites and endorsements
- Candidate social media
- Candidate forums
- Sparker’s Soapbox candidate questionnaires
- Collier County Republican Executive Committee (CCREC) candidate questionnaires
- A look at the contributions to each campaign
This post is a work in progress. More information and analysis may be added in the weeks ahead. Check back often for updates.
Websites and Endorsements
Visit the candidates’ websites to learn what they want you to know about them.
All contain language about the importance of fair and accurate assessments, transparency in the valuation process, and the need to improve the Office’s existing technology. But there are important differences beyond that.
Here is some of what I learned:
Vickie Downs: voteforvickiedowns.com
“As a candidate for the leadership of the Collier County Property Appraiser’s Office, I am dedicated to upholding the tradition of fair and equitable assessments,” Downs says. “With over three decades of experience in the office, I bring a proven track record of conducting assessments with integrity and precision. From managing technical processes to fostering strong relationships with county departments, I have consistently delivered results that our residents can trust.”
Downs started in the Property Appraiser’s Office “from the ground up” and “worked tirelessly to climb the ranks, earning the respect and admiration of my colleagues along the way.”
Visit her website to assess her professional bio and plans for the Office’s future.
Endorsements
Downs has been endorsed by Collier County’s current long-time Property Appraiser Abe Skinner, Clerk of Courts & Comptroller Crystal Kinzel, former Collier County Commissioner Penny Taylor, former Florida Senate Garrett Richter, and community leaders Vicki Tracy, Scott Lepore, and Ed Brandt, among others.
She was also endorsed by the Naples Better Government Committee and the Collier County Citizens Value PAC.
Rick Lussy: no website
Since he has no website, I looked at what Lussy submitted to the Supervisor of Elections on his Candidate Statement. “I have been appraising all my life, I like it, am good at it, and understand what I am looking at,” he says.
Lussy has a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Montana in Finance, Real Estate, Personnel Management, and General Business. He has done appraisal work in 15 Florida counties and in 13 states since 1973, working on his own at Richard C. Lussy & Associates since 1988. He attained the Senior Real Property Appraiser (SRPA) and Member Appraisal Institute (MAI) designations from the Appraisal Institute.
Endorsements
I found no endorsements in my search online.
James Molenaar: voteformolenaar.com
I have “a deep-rooted commitment to place a ‘Fresh Pair of Eyes’ on our approach to how we carry out the duties and responsibilities of the role of Collier County Property Appraiser,” Molenaar says. “My career has been rooted in accountability by serving to always do the right thing…. I bring my values to this election.”
Molenaar obtained a BS ini political science and government from Purdue University in 1991 and a JD at the Michigan State University College of Law in 1995. He later earned an LLM in information technology and privacy law from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law in 2002 and an MBA from the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida in 2010. (LinkedIn)
The only information on Molenaar’s website is a four-paragraph “Open Letter,” which is repeated on his Candidate’s Statement, and a “Donate” link.
Endorsements
Molenaar has been endorsed by the Collier County Republican Party, for which he also serves as Parliamentarian.
Julian Stokes, Jr.: voteforstokes.com and julianstokesjr.com
“Julian has always been passionate about real estate and the appraisal profession, with over 15 years of experience in property valuation and consultation,” his website says. He “brings unparalleled expertise to the role, ensuring that appraisals are conducted with the highest level of accuracy.”
He has worked as a real estate appraiser and consultant in a supervisory role with Integra Realty Resources – Southwest Florida since shortly after receiving a master’s degree in real estate and construction management from the University of Denver in 2008. He is a Florida State-Certified General Real Estate Appraiser and a Member of the Appraisal Institute (MAI). (LinkedIn)
Endorsements
Stokes Jr. has been endorsed by Naples City Councilman Berne Barton.
Candidate Social Media
Candidates generally update their Facebook pages more frequently than their websites. There, you may find posts about their recent activities and endorsements.
- Downs — Facebook, LinkedIn
- Lussy — Facebook
- Molenaar — LinkedIn, Instagram
- Stokes Jr. — Facebook, LinkedIn
Candidate Forum
The candidates participated in a form co-hosted by NABOR and Naples Better Government on behalf of a coalition of local community organizations on June 19.
Over the course of 45 minutes, their positions on issues, strengths and weaknesses, similarities, and differences became apparent. The Q&A was similar to what was covered in the Sparker’s Soapbox and CCREC Questionnaires. But it might be helpful for you to get a sense of the candidates’ appearances and how they speak by watching the forum recording.
Sparker’s Soapbox Questionnaires
Downs, Lussy, and Stokes Jr. responded to my questionnaire asking about their age, background, work experience, community involvement, and several matters of county policy. Molenaar did not respond.
Click a link to read each candidate’s responses, below. If you don’t take the time to read each questionnaire in full, I strongly recommend that you read my summary of some responses.
| Downs Questionnaire | Stokes Jr. Questionnaire |
| Lussy Questionnaire (updated 7/13/24) | Summary |
CCREC Questionnaires
Downs, Molenaar, and Stokes Jr. also responded to a 43-point questionnaire from the Collier County Republican Executive Committee (CCREC) specifically focused on their qualifications for the Property Appraiser job and what they would do if elected. There was no questionnaire from Lussy.
Among the questions addressed are:
- Do you possess any professional licenses or certifications? (Questions #17 and 18)
- What are the main strengths that you feel you possess for this position? (Question #22)
- What are the three most important items/issues that you want to address during your term in this position? (Question #23)
- As the newly elected Property Appraiser, what, if any, changes or policies would you seek to implement on your first day? Your first 100 days? Your first term? Why? (Question #24)
- What experience/training have you had in information technology? (Question #36)
Again, if you don’t take the time to read each questionnaire in full, I strongly recommend that you read my summary of the responses to four of the 43 questions. It illustrates many significant differences between the candidates.
Online Research
A simple Google search was conducted on each candidate’s name. Nothing came up for Vickie Downs or Julian Stokes Jr. besides their current candidacies for office. However, the searches for Richard “Rick” Lussy and James Molenaar did turn up information voters should be aware of.
Lussy
This is Lussy’s third run for Collier County Property Appraiser. In 2016, incumbent appraiser Skinner defeated him with 86 percent of the vote; in 2020, Skinner won with 79 percent of the vote. (Sparker’s Soapbox, 6/16/16 and 7/17/20)
Before coming to Collier County, Lussy had a long and unsuccessful history of running for Property Appraiser elsewhere in Florida. In 1992, he undertook the first of what was to become six election challenges to the incumbent Martin County, FL, Property Appraiser, receiving 20.8 percent of the votes that year and a declining share subsequently. His final attempt was in 2012.
Lussy also has a history of filing lawsuits. In a 2001 case, Lussy v. Fourth District Court of Appeal, the Florida Supreme Court observed that “Lussy’s petitions are full of disjointed, defamatory ramblings,” noted several previous cases that were “dismissed as facially insufficient,” and listed a number of “similar pleadings” in which court review was denied or appeals dismissed.
The Supreme Court Order concludes, “It appears to the Court that you have abused the judicial system with an excessive number of frivolous or incomprehensible pleadings in this Court,” and essentially refused to hear any further “civil petitions and appeals” from Lussy “unless signed by a member of The Florida Bar.”
Nevertheless, according to materials filed with the Florida Elections Commission in 2017, Lussy brought complaints against the Martin County Property Appraiser and related people in 2004 and 2008 and one complaint against then-Collier County Property Appraiser Abe Skinner in 2016. All of them were dismissed.
In 2015, Lussy was found deficient on his 2010 and 2011 federal income tax returns.
In 2022, Lussy was cited for failure to “make a full and public disclosure of financial interests” on his 2019 Form 6 filing. He was publicly censured, reprimanded, and fined $500.
Molenaar
In 2020, Molenaar, then senior legal counsel for the Collier County Clerk of Courts and Comptroller, unsuccessfully challenged his boss, incumbent Clerk Crystal Kinzel, for election to that post. He was defeated, with Kinzel receiving 59 percent of the vote in a contentious race.
- Crystal Kinzel re-elected as Collier County clerk of courts, Naples Daily News, 8/19/20
In January 2023, by a vote of 3-2, the Collier County School Board chose Molenaar to be its school board attorney. I wrote at the time that Molenaar “was selected despite concerns about the job description, the length of time the position was posted, and perceptions of unethical behavior.” The next steps were to do background and reference checks.
Those checks turned up information that apparently led to the removal of his application from consideration.
- Search for Collier County School Board Attorney on Hold: Here’s What We Know, Naples Daily News, 2/15/23
I then obtained several documents through a public records request from the school district. They included a negative employment reference from Kinzel, citing disciplinary issues she had with him while under her supervision, and two depositions given in court by Molenaar when he was called to testify as a witness in a DUI case. The depositions dealt, in part, with the nature of relationships he had with two co-workers in the Clerk’s office.
- Collier School Board Attorney Search — Part 3, Sparker’s Soapbox, 2/17/23
Campaign Finance
Candidate Campaign Treasurer Reports of contributions and expenditures are available on the Collier County Supervisor of Elections website.
Here is a summary of the candidates’ filings to date:
I reviewed each candidate’s contributions and expenditures. Of note:
- Molenaar received the maximum $1,000 contribution from fellow CCREC member and candidate for school board Tom Henning; Deborah Moshier, wife of current school board member Timothy Moshier; candidate for Collier County Republican State Committeeman Frank Schwerin; and the CCREC.
- All four qualified for the ballot by paying a filing fee of $10,013, which represents their largest single expenditure.
Conclusion
There is a lot at stake in this election because it will, for all practical purposes, decide who our next Property Appraiser will be, and the four candidates offer very different choices.
Only you can decide which one you think would make a better County Officer.
If you have questions about any of the candidates, don’t hesitate to contact them directly through their website.
If you have questions or need additional information about the election itself, visit the Collier County Supervisor of Elections website or call 239-252-8683.
Catch Up on What You Missed
These are several posts about the upcoming elections you might have missed:
- Florida’s Primary Election Process: a Primer Post, 2/6/24
- Collier County’s August Elections: What’s on the Ballot and How to Prepare, 5/19/24
- Collier School Board Election and Candidates, 6/11/24
- Collier County Voters’ Primary Election Ballot is Set, 6/16/24
- Collier Commission District 3 Candidates — August 2024, 6/27/24
- Collier Commission District 5 Candidates – August 2024, 6/29/24
- Collier Supervisor of Elections Candidates, 7/5/24
Read all my posts about the 2024 elections here.