Sultan Police Chief Fred Walser can’t do much about a criminal probe of his actions except wait for the results.
Yet for all the distraction it’s infusing into his daily existence, it’s shown no sign of impeding his future political quest.
He’s made no decisions but is zeroing in on a 2008 race as a Democrat against Republican state Sen. Val Stevens of Arlington.
“I am setting up timelines and getting the paperwork. I want to be squeaky clean about it,” said Walser, who is resigning Aug. 17.
Should Walser pull the trigger on a campaign, he will present Stevens with one of her toughest threats since she first won a seat in the state Legislature in 1992.
Walser would give Democrats a quality candidate in the 39th District where Republicans are anchored in the three seats serving east Snohomish County and parts of Skagit and Whatcom counties.
He’s well-known and well-liked in the Snohomish County portion. His wife, Donetta, is mayor of Monroe, which should further help his cause with voters.
He can tap lots of folks for money through all the professional, civic, social and fraternal organizations to which he belongs.
Stevens is no pushover; she’s won five elections pretty handily.
She’s a principled conservative with a penchant for controversial comments that excite the GOP’s spiritual core on whom she relies for money and votes.
Two issues already seem ripe for a Walser-Stevens matchup.
There’s U.S. 2.
State lawmakers passed a multibillion-dollar road improvement package in 2005 that contained no significant dollars for the highway.
That’s a direct result of animus between Stevens and state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, who crafted the plan.
Stevens didn’t press Haugen for money and Haugen didn’t come asking. If Haugen had extended an offer, she’d have demanded Stevens’ pledge to vote for the package and the gas tax hike to fund it.
Stevens, who voted against the bill, wouldn’t make that deal. Former state Sen. Dave Schmidt, R-Mill Creek, did and more than $100 million for Highway 9 projects landed in the plan.
Walser, who fronts the Highway 2 Safety Coalition, will argue he can make nice with Haugen to secure funding in the future.
The other issue is the criminal inquiry of Walser.
The Sultan City Council requested Everett police investigate whether Walser broke any laws in the wake of an underling’s alleged misuse of a police computer. Walser denies any criminal wrongdoing.
Today, prevailing wisdom says unless Walser is jailed for a spell, he won’t lose much luster as a candidate.
On the other hand, if the probe lingers into next year without resolution, it’s far less predictable how voters will react.
Integrity is an intangible trait important to voters. Stevens could very well – albeit very carefully – induce doubt about Walser’s.
That would make his personal distraction a political problem.
Reporter Jerry Cornfield’s column on politics runs every Sunday. He can be reached at 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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