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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Savage holds edge for Bonner County sheriff

The crackling, three-way race for sheriff in Bonner County was tight right from the start, with Undersheriff Elaine Savage holding the early lead, and challengers Tony Lamanna and James “Bean” Johnston not far behind.

With 10 of 33 precincts reporting, Savage was running in front with 1,313 votes to Lamanna’s 1,201. Johnston was not far back with 1,086.

The race has become a referendum on the personality and policies of Sheriff Phil Jarvis, who is leaving office after a single term. Jarvis, a retired San Diego police officer, was seen as a breath of fresh air four years ago when he swept into office.

But Jarvis’ policies of splitting patrol deputies into districts, creating substations and new purchasing and bookkeeping and uniform protocols seem to have fractured the sheriff’s race into support either for Savage, who campaigned on a platform of continuing Jarvis’ policies, or for Lamanna, who vowed to counter sinking morale among deputies that he pins on Jarvis.

Johnston, an independent, is this year’s newcomer – he was the first Sandpoint resident to stage anti-war protests in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. He is a former Airborne Ranger and sheriff’s deputy in Michigan and a central issue of his campaign was to rein in what he called an increasingly “militaristic” atmosphere among deputies

“I want a bigger lead,” Savage said, nervous that the race was so tight with 23 precincts to go. “When you are moving ahead with a professional organization, some people want to move with you and some will resist.”

Looking around Sandpoint’s Power House, where her campaign set up an election watch, she said, “This room is filled tonight with people who want that accountability and I am happy to see the faces of people I work with.”

In Boundary County, interim Sheriff Greg Sprungl was coasting to apparent victory with all seven precincts reporting. Sprungl, in the unofficial tally, carried all seven precincts with a total of 2,166 votes to 1,174 for Democratic challenger Kevin McDonald. Geoff Palmer, running as an independent, lagged well behind with 710 votes.

Sprungl served as sheriff in the 1990s before being ousted in the 2000 election. His chances were boosted when the county’s Republican Central Committee forwarded his name in September to replace Sheriff George Voyles, who lost in the primaries and quit early. County commissioners voted to approve Sprungl as sheriff by a 2-1 vote.

In Kootenai County, with 31 of 75 precincts reporting, incumbent Sheriff Rocky Watson was cruising to apparent victory 3-to-1 over challenger John Weick, a California businessman who was removed from the voter rolls when his residency was challenged.

Watson had 20,384 votes to 6,193 for Weick, who filed at nearly the last minute and who has barely campaigned. Weick purchased a private security firm from Watson nearly two years ago and has since been embroiled in a lawsuit with the sheriff.

In Latah County, Republican challenger Wayne Rausch, who filed a tort claim against incumbent Jeff Crouch over a demotion, appeared to be on the verge of taking Crouch’s job, leading a three-way race with 1,353 votes.

Only a third of the precincts had reported.

Crouch, a Democrat, was second with 690 votes and former sheriff Joe Overstreet, running as an independent, was third at 293.

Results in the Benewah County Sheriff’s race showed former two-term sheriff Robert Kirts with 1,707 votes to challenger Robert Loe’s 1,387 votes, with eight of 11 precincts reporting.