County sheriff: Johnson will restore respect to office

Published 1:30 am Sunday, November 5, 2023

Despite the ‘Re-elect Adam Fortney’ signs littering our streets, I will not be voting for him, and I hope others will consider his record before doing so.

Fortney has worked hard to gain voter support by politicizing the sheriff’s office, which has only created more political rancor and division within our county. This bias was demonstrated most recently by featuring right-wing, Jan 6 supporter Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb at fundraise for Fortney’s campaign. Locally, his support of the falsely reported “Antifa” invasion of a demonstration in Snohomish, brought major controversy into that community. These represent just two examples.

Consider his decision in 2022 to discontinue providing annual reports from his office on crime data, budgetary breakdowns of his $3.5 million budget, and information on misconduct investigations. “Who reads them?” He reportedly asked while in discussion with the county council. While seeming to be dodging accountability, he also demonstrates a failure to understand that taxpayers who pay his salary deserve this information.

Fortney’s opponent, Susanna Johnson, is an experienced law enforcement professional who promises to bring political balance and respect to the sheriff’s office. I urge voters to consider her as a viable alternative for sheriff. There is too much rancor, political division and disrespect for the rule of law in our communities already. A vote for Fortney is a vote to endorse more of that.

Ann Morgan

Everett