MARYSVILLE The race for Snohomish County Sheriff saw Lt. Rob Beidler defeated in his bid to replace his boss, Rick Bart, who cant run for a fourth term due to term limits. Democratic State Rep. John Lovick of Mill Creek topped the trio on the Aug. 21 ballot with 38 percent of the 78,000 votes cast; deputy chief Tom Greene followed with 34 percent, and Beidler was knocked out with 26 percent.
Greene was quickly endorsed by Bart, who had been serving as chairman of Greenes steering committee but had withheld his endorsement until after the primary. Beidler was endorsed heavily by police unions and said he would reveal his endorsement pick later this week.
Greene was afraid of an internal scrap in sheriffs office and was happy with the primary result.
It turned out just as I had anticipated me up against Lovick, Greene said. This is very good because it means there is only one internal sheriffs office candidate. It preserves unity within the sheriffs office.
Greene was excited to get Barts endorsement; the three-term incumbent was elected as a Republican when the office was a partisan job, and is the highest-ranking elected official in the county except for County Councilmen Gary Nelson and John Koster. Lovick and Beidler were the preference of County Executive Aaron Reardon, a Democrat, and Lovick had spent almost two years behind the scenes securing the support of many Democrats before jumping into the race during the last months before the primary. While the race is technically non-partisan, there is a management-vs-union bent in the endorsements of Greene vs. Beidler, and party leaders are expected to champion their favorites during the general election. Democrats endorse non-partisan races, the Republican party does not.
I appreciate the support and confidence from our citizens, Lovick wrote in an email. I will work hard to win the general election and I look forward to serving as sheriff to help build a safer community to live, work and raise a family.
Greene said having his bosss support will be a boon since the Bart is one of the more popular politicians in the county and is trusted and well-liked in the community. Lovick has served in the state legislature for many years and has a lot of name recognition; and is a retired Washington State Patrol sergeant.
Im excited about how close the voters came to giving me the lead, given the name familiarity that Lovick enjoys in a small part of our County, Greene said. The message from the voters is very clear they want an experienced sheriff who knows how to run a full-service police agency, someone who can hit the ground running. They do not want a novice.