By LUKE PUTVIN | Last Updated: Feb. 21, 2020
Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers appointment former Sheriff Ty Trenary as Senior Policy Analyst to focus on public safety and issues that intersect with multiple departments and agencies.
Trenary’s duties will include leading policy analysis and development for law and justice, emergency services, homeland security, and other high priority issues in the Executive’s Office.
“I am excited to continue working on policies that matter to our residents, from public safety to homelessness and addiction,” said Trenary. “I care deeply about our community and am proud to join a team of leaders who are tackling some of the toughest challenges we face.”
Trenary started his new position on February 10 and will be receiving an annual salary of $148,100.
The Lynnwood Times reached out for a statement from Somers and Fortney regarding why the position was created and their thoughts on the position.
When the Executive Office was asked how many others were considered for the Senior Policy Analyst position, Kent Patton, Communications Director with the Executive office, responded:
“Ty Trenary has the ideal experience to provide policy advice to our office as we work to stand up new programs and analyze existing policies across our law and justice system. Ty has served in uniform for over three decades, including as chief of police for one of our cities and as an elected sheriff. For most of his thirty-two years as a cop, he was on the front lines of public safety, making the tough decisions to keep our streets safe. He knows what it’s like to wear a badge and gun and put his life on the line every day for the people of our community. By having Ty in our office, we are better able to understand the complex needs of law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Having worked in the sheriff’s office for 28 years, Ty will be an advocate for the office’s needs.”
Another question was why the position of Senior Policy Analyst is being created now and not earlier.
Patton responded that the executive office has engaged in many discussions about policy changes to improve the law and justice system, and they created this new position in the 2020 budget to meet the growing county’s needs.
We also questioned what their response would be to voters that feel the creation of this position is in conflict with their choice to elect Fortney over Trenary in November.
“Adam Fortney is the Snohomish County Sheriff, and we are committed to working with him,” Patton said.
“Since Ty was a law enforcement officer and public servant for over 30 years, he has the experience to help us develop and analyze policies to benefit our residents. Ty has worn a uniform for 32 years and put his life on the line for our community. It wasn’t necessarily an easy sell to get him to trade in his badge and gun for a policy job, but he will be of great benefit to Snohomish County and provide added capacity to our office.”
We asked the Sheriff’s Office the same question regarding voters potentially feeling the creation of the position is in conflict with their choice to elect Fortney.
“This is pretty speculative,” responded Shari Ireton, Director of Communications with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, “but I’ve asked the Sheriff for a response.”
0 Responses
It seems pretty obvious why they didn’t consult the Sheriff we elected about this position. Their guy didn’t win, so they put him in a place to help them set policy that the Sheriff should be setting. Petty is the word. I know this: the last Sheriff set policies such as not arresting people who were obviously off the rocker on meth while operating a motor vehicle in downtown Granite Falls. They let them walk away instead, and within 5 minutes of deputies leaving, the DUI driver came back and drove the car away. Drug addicts in communities around Granite Falls were being overrun by drug addicts living in the forests who were stealing everything not locked down. Under Sheriff Fortney, real change is happening. Drug dens that have been terrorizing the neighborhood are getting cleared out under nuisance property ordinances. We are talking about properties strewn with trash, derelict motor homes and cars in violation of county zoning codes, toxic chemicals being drained into the soil, and ‘zombies’ that you see wandering around in a daze at 3 in the morning. People parking at parks to sell drugs. Trespassing and vandalism are commonplace but that is starting to change. Sheriff Fortney is doing a great job.