I'm Captain Stan Seo,
asking you to vote no
on Charter Amendment 5.
This amendment would take away
your right to elect the sheriff.
If this passes,
it would be very dangerous
for the public
because it would give
the politically-motivated county council
total authority
over the Sheriff's Office.
There is not
a single appointed sheriff
in this state.
Every single county
in the state of Washington
elects its own sheriff.
Charter Amendment 5
would take away
our right to vote
and give politicians
the power to handpick a sheriff
who will do
what the council wants.
An elected, nonpartisan sheriff
protects our system
of checks and balances
by acting as a counterweight
to the county executive and council.
Currently, the executive
and county council
have the important and powerful
budget oversight
of the sheriff's office.
If the Executive and Council
are given the authority
to appoint a Sheriff as well,
the office would be
totally controlled
by politicians
with no background
or expertise
in law enforcement.
The Sheriff's Office serves
over 2.1 million residents
of King County
and even more
beyond the county borders
with search and rescue missions.
There is no justification for
nine politically-motivated politicians
taking away the rights
of over 2 million residents
to elect their sheriff.
Currently, if an elected
nonpartisan sheriff
fails to serve
the community's interests,
voters can remove
that sheriff from office
through the democratic process
of voting.
There is no
greater accountability
than the sheriff
to be elected by
the people they serve.
An appointed sheriff
would answer to politicians,
not the people.
I urge you to vote no
on Charter Amendment 5.