After a months-long battle for sheriff, the likes of which Clark County voters hadn’t seen in decades, former Commander Chuck Atkins and community outreach Sgt. Shane Gardner emerged from Tuesday’s primary. They will face each other in November’s general election.
The two candidates bested retired sheriff’s Commander John Graser and former Detective Ed Owens. As of Tuesday evening, Atkins had received 41.48 percent of the vote to Gardner’s 31.98 percent, with overall voter turnout of 21.95 percent.
While most candidates gathered at the county’s Public Service Building, Atkins watched from a friend’s house as the returns were announced. He said by phone the primary was only the first step in advancing toward the sheriff’s office.
“I am very happy with the numbers,” he said. “They are kind of in the area I was hoping for.”
He said he would not change his message as he continues campaigning.
Gardner said he was humbled by the primary election’s outcome. He’s running as a nonpartisan candidate but was uncertain how that would play in the conservative county. Atkins is running as a Republican.
“I had no idea what the numbers would be,” Gardner said. “I am happy as can be to be able to continue getting the message out that the community is important.”
The election was notable for being the first in more than two decades not to feature Sheriff Garry Lucas, who announced in April that he planned to retire. The 71-year-old Republican started with the sheriff’s office in 1968. Known as a man of few words, Lucas has not publicly thrown his support behind any of the candidates and has only obliquely hinted at whether he will.
Neither Atkins nor Gardner have publicly expressed much interest in aggressively pursuing Lucas’ endorsement, though it’s unlikely either would turn it down were he to offer it.
Despite his reticence, Lucas’s shadow has hung heavy over the race. Both candidates have expressed their appreciation for the longtime lawman, saying he’d given his blessing to their candidacies. But even with the deferential treatment, both candidates have said they planned to put their own mark on the sheriff’s office and keep moving it into the 21st century.
Gardner has suggested the sheriff should be a more visible presence in the county, and that the office should continue bolstering its online outreach efforts using online social media.
Atkins said he will continue to emphasize building stronger partnerships with private enterprises.
The sheriff is the county’s top law enforcement official, responsible for administering a biennial budget of roughly $101 million. He’s responsible for providing police services to areas outside city limits, including Salmon Creek, Felida and Hazel Dell, in addition to running the jail.
During the 2013-2014 biennium, the position paid an annual salary of $104,244.
