The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

To The Eagle:

I found the recent letter submitted by Nick Nikkila comparing the show, “Longmire” to the current Sheriff’s race amusing and demonstrates what a good writer he is. Unfortunately, both the show and parallels to the current sheriff’s administration are also in the realm of fiction. As a recent deputy with the Wahkiakum County Sheriff’s Office I am endorsing Mike Balch for Sheriff of Wahkiakum County. This is not a decision I took lightly.

I, like Sheriff Howie, have worked in larger police departments and believed when he was appointed that he would make an excellent sheriff. He is intelligent and knows how a law enforcement agency should be operated. Unfortunately, potential does not always translate in to real life. In reality the sheriff’s office is full of issues that are not being addressed. The sheriff’s office is top heavy with the Sheriff, Undersheriff and Sergeant. With only four patrol deputies this seems ridiculous. The chain of command is poor and communication conflicting. In private industry this level of supervision minus accountability would be unacceptable. Why would this not also be the case in public service? The sheriff’s office has suffered from a high level of turnover considering its size. The current level of law enforcement coverage is also very poor. There are many nights when there is simply no deputy actively patrolling Wahkiakum County. There are hard-working deputies in Wahkiakum but not all provide a level of service that a professional law enforcement agency should give their customers, the citizens. This leads me back to Mike Balch.

I worked closely with him and was impressed with his depth of knowledge in law enforcement, customer service and the high level of personal integrity he brings to the job. He also cares deeply for the community. The fact he had worked for the sheriff’s office for 30 years attests to that. To Mike, this is not merely a job, it is a calling. While I respect those endorsing Sheriff Howie, I believe if the sheriff’s office were given a close look by the citizens they would see new leadership is desperately needed to give the citizens of Wahkiakum County the level of service, leadership and accountability they deserve. My obvious choice for sheriff is Mike Balch.

Paul Carlson, Silver Lake