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Eddie Cook
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Friday to appoint Gilbert Town Councilman Eddie Cook as county assessor to replace Paul Petersen, his indicted predecessor.
Cook is a Republican who was one of 11 applicants for appointment as assessor, a countywide officer responsible for setting property tax valuations.
Cook’s appointment runs through Dec. 31 but he said he plans to run in this year’s 2020 primary and general elections for a four-year term.
Petersen resigned in January under pressure after being indicted last October on fraud charges involving an adoption operation involving pregnant women from the Marshall Islands.
Petersen has pleaded not guilty. He worked as an adoption attorney while serving as county assessor.
County officials say Cook will be sworn in as assessor after the Gilbert Town Council accepts his resignation.
Cook said Friday he will resign at his final council meeting on February 18.
Cook has served on the Gilbert Town Council since 2011 while also working for a technology company.
The county supervisors suspended Petersen for 120 days in late October, and a temporary replacement ran the office during that period.
The MCBOS appointed another part time assessor who knows nothing about the complex assessment process. In his application for assessor Eddie Cook stated the assessor position will not be his primary employment. Eddie Cook will continue to be employed and work at NetApp.