Sheriff-elect Lovick puts his rivals on his team

Published 11:53 pm Tuesday, November 20, 2007

EVERETT — Snohomish County Sheriff-elect John Lovick has selected the two men who faced off against him in the race for sheriff to help him lead the office during the next four years.

Sheriff’s Chief Tom Greene and Lt. Rob Beidler have agreed to join Lovick’s command staff when he takes office Jan. 1. Long time sheriff’s Capt. Jeff Miller also was selected to be a bureau chief, Lovick announced Tuesday.

In the last couple of weeks Lovick has been busy putting together his leadership team. He chose sheriff’s Capt. Tom Davis to be his undersheriff. Davis is the police chief of Stanwood.

Beidler will oversee administrative services, the position Greene holds now, and will be in charge of the budget, training and recruiting. Greene will move over to support services, where he’ll oversee special operations and technical support. Miller will head field operations, including patrol and investigations. That bureau is the most visible to the public and Miller’s communication skills, leadership and experience make him the right fit, Lovick said.

“He’s a very calm person and you don’t have to spend very much time with him to get to like him,” Lovick said.

It made sense to bring Greene and Beidler to the command staff, Lovick said.

“We all wanted to be sheriff, but besides that, we all want to provide a great level of safety to the citizens of this county,” Lovick said.

The sheriff-elect said he listened to his opponents while they were on the campaign trail, and was impressed by their ideas.

“I feel good these guys said ‘yes,’ ” Lovick said.

All three men have valuable experience that will help the sheriff’s office move forward and provide better service, he said.

Greene said he agreed to take the job because he wants to keep serving the community.

“The main reason I ran for sheriff was because I’m committed to public service,” Greene said. “That doesn’t change because the people chose someone else.”

Each of the people Lovick has tapped for leadership positions brings diverse skills that will help the sheriff’s office build on success, Beidler said. He looks forward to bringing a fresh perspective to recruiting and strategic planning.

“It’ll work. We’ll put the election behind us,” Beidler said. “We have a new administration with a new mind-set.”

Miller said he’s looking forward to helping the sheriff’s office maintain and improve its service. He thinks the command staff can work to help the sheriff’s office connect with the community and work together to prevent crime.

“I think it says a lot about (Lovick) that he doesn’t have any animosity and recognizes their strengths,” Miller said. “I think it should unite the department and community. We’re all in it together.”

Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.