HomeMy WebLinkAbout022125 email - Art Frank recommendationALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners:
Art Frank is the only candidate with the vision, integrity, and experience to build the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office into the effective, professional, compassionate law enforcement
team our community deserves. Art’s transformative leadership will upgrade service quality and bring JCSO into alignment with the values and priorities of our county’s voters.
Joe Nole’s retirement offers the opportunity for badly-needed change. The status quo at JCSO is unacceptable.
As assistant principal and then principal at Chimacum High School from 2016-19, I often had to coordinate with law enforcement. I came to appreciate Art Frank’s consistent and professional
leadership as undersheriff. I backed Joe Nole when he first ran for sheriff in 2018. Unfortunately, Nole reassigned Art and made Andy Pernsteiner undersheriff. Under Nole and Pernsteiner,
the quality of JCSO support for our students, staff, and families became inconsistent. I returned to the classroom in 2019, but subsequent principals lamented that JCSO support for
the school continued to deteriorate. Our superintendent complained that for months running, Nole ignored emails and failed to return phone calls.
As an educator, youth sports coach, and community member, I noticed a sharp decline in the professionalism of JCSO staff (both on and off duty) under Nole and Pernsteiner. I have personally
witnessed some JCSO staff…
* Disparage people of color, women, migrants, the homeless, LGBTQ+ individuals, etc.
* Express hostility to DEI, Black Lives Matter, & public assistance programs
* Flaunt their disdain for the state mask mandate, & boast of their refusal to enforce it
* Trumpet MAGA talking points & conspiracy fantasies
Hearing JCSO staff say such things made me doubt their willingness to protect and serve the most vulnerable in our community.
Concerned about JCSO’s deterioration, I joined Art’s campaign for sheriff in 2022. During the campaign, we heard horror stories from many community members who had been poorly served
by JCSO. As a candidate, Art made concrete proposals to upgrade 911 response, achieve accreditation, and train JSCO to respond to a school shooting. To win the race, Nole acknowledged
those needs and promised to implement Art’s proposals. Thanks to Art, JCSO finally received school shooter response training. However, once safely reelected, Nole–and Pernsteiner–failed
to follow through elsewhere. More than two years later, JCSO remains unaccredited, and 911 response remains suboptimal, especially in certain parts of the county.
There is no case for conserving the unsatisfactory status quo at JCSO by retaining Nole’s handpicked successor.
Art Frank, by contrast, knows JCSO’s strengths and needs, and will build on those strengths and address those needs until everyone in our community feels protected and served, safe and
supported by JCSO. Art is also the only authentic Democrat in this race. I am at your service should you need further information about this truly extraordinary candidate.
Sincerely,
Brian MacKenzie
History & Civics Department Chairman, Chimacum High School
History, Political Science, & Global Studies Instructor, Everett Community College
President, Chimacum Education Association
111 Bayview Lane Port Townsend, WA 98368 mrbmkz@hotmail.com <mailto:mrbmkz@hotmail.com> (360) 316-6383