Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies working without a contract for 19 months will continue picketing until the county’s 2005 budget is set.
Deputies are joining the fray as Sheriff Rick Bart and County Executive Aaron Reardon trade jabs over proposed sheriff’s office budget cuts. The two disagree about how those cuts will play out and whether they will affect public safety.
About 150 deputies picketed Reardon’s town-hall budget meeting in Tulalip on Wednesday, with union leaders saying the county executive isn’t fully explaining how cuts to the sheriff’s office will affect service.
They’re also upset that contract negotiations have stalled, said Ty Trenary, president of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association.
“Our frustration is we’ve got this rock-throwing contest, but he doesn’t really truly seem (to be) trying to fix it,” Trenary said.
Reardon said he took office as negotiations over a new contract were continuing. Negotiations had been going on for months, with no resolution, and both sides had leveled charges of unfair labor practices.
“There were some hard feelings,” Reardon said. “We tried to drop the volume down and work this out.”
Both sides say arbitration will likely be needed.
Tulalip Tribes police and leaders were drawn into the dispute Wednesday when officers were called to Quil Ceda Village in response to the demonstration.
State Rep. John McCoy, D-Tulalip, said a “concerned citizen” called him about the protest. The caller was not Reardon or a member of county government staff, he said.
McCoy notified tribal police because the tribe has an ordinance banning political activity there. Sheriff’s deputies were told they could picket at a nearby intersection.
“We got a lot more visibility there,” Trenary said. “We don’t have any dispute with the Tulalip police officers. They were out there doing their job.”
Bart, however, reportedly took offense. He was hunting Friday and did not return calls.
McCoy, who is running for re-election, said he has received word that Bart is pulling his endorsement, but had not talked to the sheriff as of Friday.
“It’s unfortunate he made that decision, (considering) our long record of working together on public safety issues,” McCoy said.
Tulalip Tribes Police Chief Jay Goss also prepared a letter to Bart saying he is prepared to turn in his deputy sheriff’s commission if Bart wants. Goss was sworn in as a special county deputy in 2001 at the same ceremony where Bart was made a special tribal police officer.
“It was a statement of our cooperation with the county,” Goss said, adding that if Bart pulls his commission, it won’t affect his authority or his work with county deputies.
Goss had not spoken to Bart as of Friday. He hopes to meet with him to discuss what happened on Wednesday.
“It’s an unfortunate situation. I hope it causes no riff between the two law enforcement agencies,” Goss said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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