Our View: Right sheriff for job
It shouldn’t take much detective work for Kootenai County voters to decide who to back for sheriff in next week’s Republican primary, the winner of which will face Independent Arthur “Skip” Ingle in the Nov. 4 general election.
Tuesday’s ballot will list two known quantities: Incumbent Sheriff Rocky Watson and Post Falls City Councilman Joe Bodman are both public figures, experienced peace officers and seasoned politicians. There aren’t many riddles to solve.
Well, maybe one: If Watson has performed the job capably for nine years, why should voters trade him in on an untested replacement?
They shouldn’t. Bodman, of course, doesn’t accept the premise. He contends that Watson is a poor administrator who has damaged morale in the office, driving experienced deputies to leave for jobs in other jurisdictions such as Spokane County. Bodman himself, once the president of the Kootenai County Deputies Association, left in 2002 for a job with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department.
He paints Watson as stingy with pats on the back and too worried about the political implications of saying or doing anything to offend anyone. That, not the higher pay Spokane County can offer, is the reason for the deputy exodus, Bodman insists.
That theory doesn’t hold up. Watson has hardly pulled his punches in his repeated battles with Kootenai County commissioners for higher salaries for his employees. Without commissioners’ backing, though, there’s little he can do to address the pay disparity that has been a factor for years – and will continue to be a factor as long as Spokane County has a larger population and bigger bankroll.
It’s telling that when asked if the people of Kootenai County feel safe, Bodman says yes. And when asked if morale is on the rebound in the department, he says yes again.
Bodman says that’s because of the professionalism of the law enforcement officers in the department and the personal skills of Watson’s new undersheriff, but those factors are in fact part of the environment that’s in place under Watson’s leadership.
Strong leadership, to be specific. When an internal e-mail scandal plagued Kootenai County Prosecutor Bill Douglas’ office, Watson learned of related incidents involving some of his own personnel. As Douglas dug in his heels and stalled, Watson cracked down right away, ordering training for all and sending an unmistakable warning that misconduct would invite consequences. Guess which office continued to wrestle with the controversy.
For his part, Bodman has done an acceptable job on the Post Falls City Council, but the skills involved in that role don’t translate easily to the specialized demands of Watson’s office. Voters would be wise to keep both candidates in the jobs they have now.