This year we elect a new Sheriff in Pierce County, and it’s turning out to be a difficult position to assess. There are four candidates under consideration in the August 4 primary, and while each has strengths, there are a lot of unanswered questions. In fact, the News Tribune decided not to endorse for the primary, and many local political groups have also decided to wait on any endorsement until the general election in November.
Then recently there were two articles in the News Tribune about the Sheriff’s drug investigations unit and the Prosecutor’s decision to place a group of deputies from that unit on the potential impeachment list, including one of the candidates for Sheriff. So, we were wondering, what is the potential impeachment list? How does someone get placed on the list? And is that a critical issue to consider when evaluating the candidates?
John Cummings, a litigation attorney with Gordon Thomas Honeywell in Tacoma, and a former Deputy Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney, helps shed some light on what these impeachment lists are, whether they are significant, and what factors we should be looking at in evaluating candidates for Sheriff or other public office.
For background, here are the TNT articles:
- Non-Endorsement: https://www.thenewstribune.com/opinion/editorials/article244308357.html
- Drug Investigations Unit, July 15: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/crime/article244149097.html
- Follow Up on Drug Unit, July 21: https://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/article244358832.html
Let us know what you think, and if you have ideas for future episodes!
Evelyn Lopez: truetacoma@gmail.com @True_Tacoma
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS