How many homes does Island County Commissioner Mac McDowell own?

He’s not sure. First he said it’s four, then after looking over paperwork, he said he has five homes.

To be fair, it’s a matter of how the word “home” is defined. If one defines it the way the national media has in counting Sen. John McCain’s homes — both houses and condos, including those rented out — then McDowell bests the presidential candidate.

At the latest count, McCain has eight homes. He was recently criticized for not knowing how many homes he and his wealthy wife own. But McDowell has nine, plus a number of apartment buildings.

McDowell, a Republican from Oak Harbor, recently faced criticism for allegedly making decisions as a commissioner based on his property ownership, but it turns out he doesn’t own anything south of Oak Harbor or in any of the areas where he’s made recent land-use decisions.

“Anything I’ve done in zoning has absolutely nothing to do with property I own,” he said.

McDowell and his wife, Elaine McDowell, have a lot of property to keep track of, with literally millions of dollars worth of real estate in Island County and elsewhere.

“I’ve always invested in real estate,” said McDowell, who bought his first home as a bachelor in Oak Harbor from a real estate agent who happened to be his future wife. That was 1972.

The McDowells have become real estate mini-magnates, according to the county real estate records and Public Disclosure Commission documents provided by Commissioner McDowell.

In Island County, the couple owns five houses, including a newly-constructed home in Mariners Cove that they will move into soon. They also own a condominium, two apartment buildings, a small lot in Oak Harbor and an office building.

Elsewhere in the state, they have a condo and six apartment buildings, plus two condos in Hawaii. McDowell will inherit his family’s ranch in Texas.

McDowell said he owns much of the property through limited-liability corporations, or LLCs, to protect himself financially. He said he doesn’t own any other real estate through real-estate or development partnerships.

In this election season, rumors about McDowell’s properties are spreading. A popular one claims McDowell swayed zoning determinations as a county commissioner in order to make his real estate more valuable. Letters sent to the newspaper claim he has real estate holdings south and west of the city limits, in areas of potential annexation.

It’s not so. But McDowell said he made a point of unburdening himself of real estate outside of the city limits after he became commissioner 16 years ago, though he now owns two houses in Mariners Cove. All his other property is within the city limits.

“I’ve never owned any property south of my house,” he said, referring to his Scenic Heights home.

McDowell’s rival in the upcoming election, Democrat Angie Homola, did not return a call for comment.