Steve Boyer for county sheriff

Published 10:00 am Saturday, September 2, 2006

In a race that has gotten plenty of ink and has raised serious questions as to whether or not the new primary election rules are indeed in the best interest of Democrats and Republicans, the battle for the seat of Kitsap County Sheriff will likely be a close one.

The North Kitsap Herald Advisory Board met Monday with incumbent Steve Boyer, who has served in the position since 1999, and challenger Jim Rye, who has served as a Kitsap County Deputy for 33 years and pulled no punches.

The advisory board was initially split down the middle but, after a few days of soul searching, came out in favor of Boyer.

“The office is crying for a leader not a manager,” Rye asserted. This begs the question: If Rye is this leader, why is he still a deputy after 33 years? One would think he’d have risen through the ranks during the past three decades.

With 93 percent of deputies behind him and 84 percent of staff backing his campaign, Rye is definitely the “deputies’ choice.” But with the head of the Sheriff’s Guild Mike Rodrigue set to take over as KCSO Undersheriff, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Having a former Guild president in that position, the deputies won’t have much separating them from what they want. This raised concerns as to whether the Guild or the sheriff would be running the show.

Rye seemed more than willing to pass the management buck and then some to Rodrigue — which didn’t sit well with the board. While Rye and Rodrigue would undoubtedly be great for the deputies and staff they might not be as great for the rest of the people the office represents.

Boyer called much of the Guild’s media blitz pure and simple election and bargianing tactics. While there is a definite morale problem at the department, if things are so bad why is it in the process of hiring two more of four officers from Bainbridge Island? If it is so bad, why haven’t deputies left in droves?

Boyer has done a lot for residents since taking the helm.

According to the office’s 2005 report, the total crimes committed in Kitsap County dropped nearly 10 points since 2000 (35.75 per 1,000 residents) to 26.8 in 2005. Some may argue it’s just a statistic, but it’s a statistic that means one thing: under Sheriff Boyer, the county has gotten safer. During that same timeframe, he added 20 deputies and worked to have a new jail built.

Even so, at present, there are only two deputies specifically dedicated to the North End. These two serve everywhere from Hansville to Indianola — and if they both get stuck at a car accident and a burglar is in your house, what then? A deputy from Silverdale?

This lack of manpower and lack of presence here has continued since Boyer took office eight years ago. Even so, and while Rye did promise more deputies on the street — shoving some lifelong desk jockey behind the wheel with a 12-gauge at his side might not be as easy as he thinks. Or as popular.

His inclinations toward a 4/10 work week for deputies, something which he said would save money and — surprise — the deputies back 100 percent was reviewed and turned down by Boyer. Boyer pointed out that, among other things, the 4/10 shifts would translate into having deputies working during hours that the office typically isn’t very busy.

Deputies shifts’, he said, “should be built around the citizens.”

Actually, the whole system should be.

Of the two, Boyer seemed more in tune with the needs of those he serves: the citizens. This said, he still needs to get his act together for North Kitsap, starting by taking proactive steps to improve the number and presence of deputies here.

On the dollars and cents side of things, Boyer has the savvy to run what amounts to a $27 million a year economic development business. True, if people don’t feel safe, they won’t live here. If businesses feel threatened by crime, they won’t move here.

A few years ago, you couldn’t walk down a side street in Kitsap without tripping over a meth house — now they’re being eradicated.

While some on the board said the county was “ready for a change,” others questioned whether or not things were so bad that the incumbent needed to be replaced. We don’t think so.

We do feel the counts will be closer than some expect, and will hopefully give Boyer the message that it’s not just the deputies who think the office needs some adjustments.

That said, we still feel he is the stronger of the two candidates and endorse his bid for reelection as Kitsap County Sheriff.