Letter to the Editor: Unincorporated residents should vote for sheriff

Published 1:00 pm Thursday, August 6, 2026

I read with interest last week’s story about the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) meeting regarding the release of a violent sexual offender near Cumberland and Editor Ray Miller-Still’s column on how officials delivered the wrong message.

The conclusion, “There’s really nothing that can be done,” is both upsetting and inevitable. Even if KCSO ran the meeting on time and “empathized with Enumclaw residents a bit more,” what would have changed? A violent sex offender would still be living near Lake Walker and local residents would still be dissatisfied.

The bigger structural problem is that the King County Sheriff is no longer elected by the voters, but appointed by the Executive. Since King County was founded in 1852, voters have elected the Sheriff for the vast majority (81%) of its 174-year history.

Direct accountability to the voters has been denied only twice: first from 1969 to 1996 under the Home Rule Charter, and again starting in 2022, following a charter amendment passed during the 2020 racial justice protests.

Rural residents in unincorporated areas constitute only 10% of King County, meaning their votes rarely decide who becomes Executive – the official empowered to appoint the Sheriff.

While KCSO enforces laws throughout unincorporated King County and 13 contract cities (Beaux Arts, Burien, Carnation, Covington, Kenmore, Maple Valley, Newcastle, North Bend, Sammamish, SeaTac, Shoreline, Skykomish, and Woodinville), the immense voting power of Seattle and its largest suburbs, mean smaller communities and unincorporated areas have little influence over department leadership.

What is needed is a King County Charter amendment to restore the Sheriff as an elected position, limiting the electorate to strictly those living in unincorporated areas and contract cities. Giving the Sheriff a direct mandate from the people they serve creates a democratic counterweight to the County Council and Executive.

This model restores true accountability. When communities are unhappy with law enforcement, they can vote the Sheriff out. Democracy works best when elected officials answer to the voters who choose them. Appointed officials answer only to their political boss. As long as KCSO remains under the control of politicians representing urban areas that don’t even use county policing services, rural residents can expect a Sheriff’s Office that prioritizes its political employers over the people it protects.

Bill Kombol

Black Diamond