Sheriff’s badge goes to Lovick

EVERETT — John Lovick was fitted for his first Snoho­mish County sheriff’s uniform Friday.

At the time, he led his opponent, Tom Greene, by a couple thousand votes. The latest canvass showed him dominating in the cities with the largest number of registered voters. The trip to Seattle to be measured for the uniform seemed a safe bet. The math indicated it would be nearly impossible for Greene to catch up, despite thousands of ballots still to be counted.

Greene on Tuesday agreed, and conceded to Lovick in a late-afternoon phone call.

Lovick welcomed the message and the support from voters. He plans to take office Jan. 1, succeeding long-time sheriff Rick Bart.

“I feel so honored the majority of voters placed their confidence in me,” Lovick said. “I know we can really make a difference in Snohomish County, and I’m going to make sure we do our absolute best.”

Lovick, 56, will be the first new sheriff in a dozen years and the first black man to hold the position. Greene had been reluctant to concede before Tuesday’s count. He held out hope that the earlier counts didn’t include the ballots from his conservative supporters, whom he believed usually wait to vote. He thought those votes could be enough to trump Lovick’s showing.

“I believe in miracles, but it’s unlikely it will happen,” Greene said Tuesday.

In a hard-fought race, it came down to connecting with voters, Lovick said. The retired Washington State Patrol sergeant canvassed neighborhoods around the county, rang doorbells and met thousands of voters on their porches.

But it was his own neighbors in Mill Creek who gave him a big chunk of his victory. In that community, Lovick ran up a lead of more than 1,000 votes over Greene. He also scored big in other south county communities.

“Frankly, I’ve been in the public eye for a long time, more importantly though I’m always trying to do good in the community,” he said. “I do my absolute best to set a good example.”

Greene, a sheriff’s bureau chief, remained adamant on Tuesday that he was the more qualified candidate for the job. He said the race hinged on name recognition.

“Given we earned 48 percent of the votes against an accomplished campaigner with lots of name-recognition, I think we gave John Lovick a run for his money,” Greene said. “I’m disappointed by the outcome. I’m not disappointed in how the campaign went.”

After spending more than two years on the campaign trail, Greene said he plans to take some time off with his wife and visit family. As for his future, Greene said he’s weighing his options. He’s been with the sheriff’s office for 25 years.

“Now that the race is over, it’s time to get behind John Lovick as the new Snohomish County sheriff,” Greene said.

After the tally on Tuesday, Lovick led Greene by 3,611 votes. About 10,000 more ballots are left to be counted. He had 51.12 percent of the votes to Greene’s 48.64 percent.

The latest count shows Lovick swept south Snohomish County, where there is the highest concentration of registered voters. He also took Everett, the largest city in the county.

Voters in the north and east parts of the county backed Greene. Those votes came from places such as Darrington, Gold Bar and Stanwood, where there are fewer registered voters. He led Lovick in a few larger cities, including Arlington, Monroe and Marysville, where he dominated by a 10 percent margin.

Lovick racked up most of his lead in the cities, where he held 52 percent of the votes. The race was closer in unincorporated Snohomish County, but Lovick won there, too.

Lovick plans to begin working right away. He expects to assemble a transition team of police chiefs and non-law enforcement professionals to evaluate the sheriff’s office and recommend improvements.

“The sheriff’s office is tremendous organization. I want to see what we can do better,” Lovick said.

He will oversee a $49 million budget, about 270 deputies and 70 non-commissioned personnel. As sheriff, he will be the chief law enforcement officer of the county.

Before taking office, Lovick plans to go to roll call, meet deputies and ride along with them to get a better understanding about what they do. He wants their input on how to improve the office.

Lovick also plans to assemble his command staff before he is sworn in next year. He wants to talk to the Deputy Sheriff’s Association before he makes any decisions so he understands what deputies want to see in a bureau chief. Lovick said he will expect his command staff to stay connected to deputies and other staff.

“I’m excited to get to work,” he said.

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