I’m spending the next few weeks focusing on some of my key platform points, starting with sheriff accountability and oversight. In the coming weeks I’ll discuss expanding seats on the county council, enshrining protections for vulnerable residents, and making our commissions more powerful, democratic and accessible. Please read, share, and get involved!
why we need sheriff accountability and oversight
I recently read the Power of the Badge, the first political science history of Sheriffs as elected officials. It demonstrates that despite their rhetoric, elected Sheriffs are unaccountable, undemocratic and generally unchallenged. This creates issues throughout society -most notably for vulnerable communities– and means internal efforts at reform are infrequent, difficult and unsustainable.
They are unaccountable because they have the unique ability to both make and enforce policy, which is primarily shaped by their ideological leanings and electoral goals. They are undemocratic because they often run unchallenged and turnout in Sheriff races is notoriously low – one of the reasons we now have our own right-wing, “Constitutional” Sheriff Keith Swank. And they are unchallenged because they generally hand-pick their successors and use both carrots and sticks to control competition.
We can start to overcome this with bold, simple reforms.
As I shared at last week’s Indivisible Tacoma Candidate Forum, I support making the Sheriff appointed and creating a community oversight board with enforcement capacity, like King County recently did in their own charter process. The limited but growing data out there suggests these reforms can be helpful, and community oversight with enforcement has been shown to improve outcomes in police departments.
But I also support more transformational reforms, including separating jailing from policing (which limits the incentive for Sheriffs to make revenue off of inmates), strengthening charter language around mental health, and creating a mental health commission. If implemented properly, these reforms signal a broader understanding of public safety and enable policing to focus on investigating actual crimes.
Other Charter Review Candidates I’m Supporting
As mentioned the last couple weeks, I don’t have a primary race, so I’m out and about supporting other candidates. I’ve had a wonderful time door knocking for Zev Cook and Latasha Palmer, both of whom I’ve endorsed for City Council and provide the kind of leadership this city needs. It’s essential that you vote in the primary to help elevate their progressive, people-powered campaigns.
I’m also excited about many of the charter review candidates. There are 21 seats up for grab across the seven county districts, and dozens of candidates out there. It can be a little dizzying trying to keep track of them all. I generally align with Indivisible Tacoma’s endorsements if you need a cheat sheet. But I want to highlight some folks in particular.
Here in District 4, I’m endorsing Jake Hunter for Seat 3 and Kate Ginn for Seat 1. They are both solid progressives who align with my values and fight hard, but also know how to build coalitions and compromise. Jake is a whip smart accountant and Kate is a childcare policy expert and already on the County’s Birth to 25 Commission. Maricres Valdez Castro and Thai Vo are also wonderful choices for District 4, Seat 1.
I’ll be highlighting other areas of the county in coming weeks, where progressive candidates will face a much steeper uphill battle. Luckily, there are some great folks out there grounded in the labor movement and community organizing. Come back in future weeks to hear more
