Sheriff Fortney says he won’t meet with successor before she’s sworn in

EVERETT — Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney won’t be switching employers when he leaves office at the end of the year.

Fortney plans to return to his patrol roots, taking on his previous rank as sergeant, he confirmed on social media Friday morning.

“This is exactly where I was when I got elected in 2019 and I go right back there,” Fortney wrote. “Running a patrol crew is the best job in the Office and I’m all in!”

Beginning Feb. 1, he’ll work out of the office’s North Precinct at 15100 40th Ave. NE, running a patrol crew that is “responsible for all of north county,” Fortney wrote.

Fortney previously held the same position in the K-9 unit in south county.

Fortney, usually an outspoken poster on his Facebook page, has been largely quiet since his election loss to Sheriff-elect Susanna Johnson last month, 51.5% to 48.4%. In his first post in over a month, he took to Facebook for a question-and-answer-style post. Accompanying the text was a picture of Fortney posing in work clothes splashed by mud, with a pickup full of wood behind him.

In the post, Fortney stated he does not intend to meet with Johnson before she takes office.

“I have my reasons,” he wrote in parentheses, while assuring a “seamless” transition.

“I have much more to say on this but now is not the time,” Fortney continued, followed by a smiley face.

Last month’s race was the most expensive for sheriff in Snohomish County history, and one of the most expensive sheriff’s races in state history. Together, the campaigns raked in $525,000. The campaign rhetoric in the hotly contested race sometimes got personal.

“Do I have regrets? Absolutely not!” Fortney wrote. “While the election turnout was not what I wanted, during this time I have been more worried about the members of my team than anyone else and I truly mean that!”

Friday’s post covered a range of questions: What he’s been up to, his plans moving forward and his take on last month’s election.

Johnson will be sworn into her new position New Year’s Day, bringing an end to Fortney’s four-year term.

“I have a voice and will use it but will not interfere with the new administration,” Fortney wrote. “They deserve a real shot at knocking this out of the park. If they don’t treat people right or try to make the elected Sheriff an appointed position in Snohomish County, I will be very vocal.”

Fortney left the door open to a future run for sheriff.

“Will I ever run again? I simply can’t answer that right now,” he wrote. “This past year taken a lot out of me and not in a good way, so maybe I can answer that at a later time, but definitely not now. While I think the trend will become for real people and not politicians being elected to public office, Snohomish County is simply not ready yet and the partisan politicians run the day (I’m being very nice :)).”

Fortney faced backlash, and two failed recall efforts, when he took to Facebook to criticize Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-home order at the height of the pandemic. This year, he hosted a campaign event alongside controversial Sheriff Mark Lamb, of Pinal County, Arizona, who is now running for U.S. Senate as a self-described constitutional conservative.

On Friday, Johnson said Fortney had previously expressed interest about returning to his rank, so the move was “expected.”

“He has a civil service and right to return to that position, so we are very happy that he wants to continue to serve the citizens of Snohomish County,” Johnson said in a voicemail.

A sheriff’s office spokesperson did not immediately return a request for more information on Fortney’s new role.

Fortney also announced he will return to real estate school — but assured this was not an “exit plan” from his career in law enforcement.

Fortney noted he’ll continue using his platform on Facebook to connect with the community.

Maya Tizon: 425-339-3434; maya.tizon@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @mayatizon.