SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash., November 10, 2023—Outgoing Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney, shared exclusively with the Lynnwood Times his statement on the results of the election. Below are his words in its entirety.
“The election results are not what we wanted and of course Jill and I are disappointed, but we will be okay! I am so incredibly proud of the four years of time I had as your Sheriff in the county that I grew up in. I am also so incredibly proud of the team and employees around me that accomplished so much during the most unprecedented time in public safety history. We have definitely been able to keep public safety strong the last four years!
“I believe I have remained authentic to who I am as a person, and I carried that with me to the Office of Sheriff. I did not change who I am as a person due to changing political winds or tides. This is not always advantageous politically, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I thought I had learned a lot about people in the 27 years of working the streets of Snohomish County, but I think I probably learned more in the last four years than ever and not all of it was good. I chose not to participate in the politics of personal destruction, and I stand by it.
“The saddest thing to me about this entire year is that my opponent won this race by convincing enough of our public that I am a racist and she even got the head of the state Democrat Party to call me a white supremacist, yet she’s never met me or been in a room with me. This is the part of politics I can’t stand and will not miss. If you have to win a local race for Sheriff by painting a US Navy veteran and 27-year member of the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office with an impeccable record as somehow being a racist, and you are comfortable telling voters this story, I think this reflects more on my opponent than me.
“It is unfortunate to me that there are people in this world like my opponent where a political seat is worth publicly trashing another human being with these character defamations. It worked, so unfortunately this cycle will continue in politics. There are consequences to this type of speech, and I am living through them now. You can see the consequences in the comments of my social media page where they get pretty horrific.
“One email I received yesterday stated it this way, ‘So happy to see a racist pos like you shown the door. Get our of our neighborhood as well.’ Of course, it was anonymous.
“If it was one message, I would let it roll off my shoulders, but it’s more than that. This is not politics, these are disgraceful and reprehensible comments and my opponent, and her campaign are directly responsible, along with local media, because of the narrative they weaved for the last year.
“I want my opponent to know that all of my family is in Snohomish County, my kids and grandkids are in Snohomish County and this character assassination has impacts on all of us with the last name of Fortney.
“I will end on a positive note.
“The past year you have let us into your home, walked in parades with us, broke bread with us, sign waved, and stood beside us! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We love Snohomish County and will continue to fight for it.
“These will be my last comments on this page about this election. I am so incredibly thankful for all of the support and kind words over the last week. We will carry on!
“Do the right thing, at the right time, for the right reasons!”
Adam Fortney
Author: Lynnwood Times Staff
45 Responses
It is my belief that you served and put your heart into this position. I campaigned for Sussanah Johnson and never once did I hear her speak dispairingly of you as an individual. What newspapers chose to print no one has complete control over that. As to recieving such hateful e mails that is a real problem in our society and facebook reflects people cannot respectfully agree or disagree irregardless of what side of an issue they are on. My support for Johnson is because I do believe that your personal and political views did bleed through in your position. Having Lamb up here to campaign completly cofirmed for me where you stood in the political contintuim and shouts consititutional sheriff which I am firmly against. As pleased as I am with the election results I want the Sheriff’s Dept to know I value their hardwork and support them fully in this difficult time of transition. I wish you well in your future endeavors
You don’t want a Constitutional Sheriff? What laws would you like your sheriff to enforce? Blue Laws? Watch what happens to the morale of the department. Sheriff Fortney was supported by his deputies for re-election . . . that says a lot about the effectiveness of policing.k
Well, 25% voter turnout gets these results. Democrats vote because politics is their religion. GOP voters are lazy and apathetic and can’t be bothered to show up. So now Snohomish County loses the best law enforcement executive it has ever had, and now you will watch beautiful Snohomish County turn into a violent cesspool like King County. When the next illegal lockdowns and mandates are issued by Olympia, you won’t have anybody left to push back against the tyranny. The new sheriff will gladly trample on your freedoms. When the new sheriff, backed by BLM, Antifa, and other defund the police groups tells her deputies to stand down and not arrest violent criminals, or opens up the jail and releases predators en masse like Dow Constantine does in King County, remember this moment. The business owners and sane people who call Snohomish County home will start leaving just as they have in King County. Western Washington continues its decay and marches on to its eventual death.
I think you’re going to be surprised at what an actually trained leader acts like.
I think you’re going to be surprised how many criminals end up in your neighborhood.
I can not agree more w J.D
LOL! You mean she’s a PUPPET; just awaiting those to pull her strings and dictate what she can or cannot do while your Constitutional rights go down in flames.
I just don’t understand this new trend of “fascism is good, I’ll only support leaders backed by fascists.”
Republicans USED to be anti fascists too. My dad was never pro fascist, and he was a lifelong republican. The party has changed in a bad way.
“Backed by antifa[scists]” will ALWAYS be a positive to me, regardless of the party or position.
FASCISM DOES NOT BELONG IN POLITICS ANYWHERE, but especially in America. Republicans used to believe this too! Many still do!
Fascism, Those who believe in one party like the Democrats. Misinformation like the Democrats. Racist like the Democrats and BLM. Mean and name calling like the Democrats. Look up the meaning of a word and see if it fits you.
ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!! My family fought against fascism, as well. I am SICKENED to see it being spread through our nation once again thanks to that criminal election denier fraud former guy who tried and is still trying to destroy our nation and our Constitution. I never thought I would see it in our country, I naively thought we had better checks and balances written in our laws to protect this from happening. How can someone run for office who CANNOT PASS THE BACKGROUND SECURITY CLEARANCE?!? I am shocked and terrified to see so many of our citizens be so duped and gullible and go against everything that our nation was founded on. What a shame. 🙁
While Fascism is horrendous; why is it that it’s always the Democrat left who celebrate it while claiming to be ‘anti-fascist?’ Think ‘Antifa’. Fascism is a leftist ideology as are Socialism, Communism.
As a 5th generation Sno county citizen I have to say what Sheriff Fortney stood for is what we natives have always believed in and stood for. Family values and doing the right thing. Calling him a racist is insulting to us all. These types of lies are just ridiculous and pushed by the media. Snohomish county lost a good man and a great family.
We agree
I’m not sure why anyone needs to tell you, but the Sheriff’s office is NOT a political seat! That’s the first thing you did wrong. You politicized the Sheriff’s office when you should have been bringing EVERYONE TOGETHER. Your “Boys Club” mentality created a larger divide. And Sheriff Johnson wasn’t the one that slammed you for being racist. The people you SERVED did. They saw you with Proud Boys. They heard you speak. They watched your actions. NOT ONCE did you denounce white supremacy when asked. You did this to YOURSELF. You showed yourself to be more interested in looking good than actually doing good. When I first started reading your statement, I thought you were going to out with class by saying, “It was a good race.” Unfortunately, you instead slammed her. Sour apple much? I challenge you to show PROOF of your assertions that the class act now known as Sheriff Johnson EVER slung mud regarding you. You’ll be hard pressed to do so. Sheriff Johnson has more integrity, experience, and ACTUAL education for the job. And unlike you.. Her ego won’t get in the way of the job.
You’re a complete idiot and obviously a very low IQ individual. Sheriff Fortney was and is a tremendous leader, husband, father, son, brother, friend, and yes a gtrat sheriff. I’ts really sad you, along with many dimwitted people have absolutely been duped by the real racist pos in your new sheriff. Her dirty politics will ruin the very position she says she’ll uphold with honor. Except one thing, she has zero honor and has now defiled our sheriff position in Snohomish County. Sickening at what’s coming our way with a Marxist leader who hates America and hates Snohomish County people.
ROFL…Donald, is that you? 🙂
Get help for your terminal case of TDS as it clouds your mental state being based in fanaticism.
I would have voted for just about anyone over Fortney, but she just so happened to be highly qualified as well. I didn’t follow her campaign.
ALL OF US have know for YEARS what he’s been up to, and it could not stand. He may be a great person to those close to him, but his actions deepened the political divides in our area, and made most of us more weary of trusting law enforcement.
How can crime be stopped if so many are uncomfortable calling on and interacting with law enforcement, because the guy at the top has made it clear he has preferences about who should be protected and served, and who’s going to be assumed to be criminals??
I don’t doubt he would have only gotten better at his job with more experience, but I don’t want to live in the contentious environment he clearly was fostering.
Johnson had nothing to do with the public turning on him. If he didn’t want to be called out for racism, he shouldn’t have been so vocal and public about his support for white supremacist individuals and the proud boys.
We have a lot of excellent officers in Snohomish County, and he may well have been one. He’s not the leader we need right now, to reduce crime and bring people together.
We don’t know yet how well Johnson will do at it, but she’s already experienced in leadership and law enforcement, and I haven’t heard her say anything about how she’ll selectively enforce based on her personal political beliefs, whatever those are. That’s another major reason Fortney wasn’t fit to lead. It isn’t a partisan position.
LOL! She is part and parcel to the mudslinging that was mostly from the partisan, crime loving left. So now they’ve got her in office to be micromanaged by her political puppet masters at the public’s expense.
We were extremely fortunate to have Sheriff Fortney for 4 years to bring Sno. Co. out of the muck that’s been spreading north from King Co. but dirty politicking on the part of the incoming sheriff’s campaign and partisan hacks in the media put her in office.
Beautifully put, thank you for writing this on here. All of it is necessary and I appreciate and applaud you for putting this on here.
You are absolutely correct. He put his EGO above the laws, and above the people of Snohomish County. His behavior was disgusting, and showed us exactly who he is, and there is NO PLACE for him and others like him in our law enforcement. To say the things he said ON HIS WAY OUT shows voters made the CORRECT CHOICE! He is a liar (Johnson NEVER said those things EVER!), petty, narcissist and I couldn’t be happier that he is GONE! Let’s get to work to restore our county law enforcement! CONGRATULATIONS, SHERIFF JOHNSON!!! Very deserved win!
LOL! Fortney put the Law, i.e. Constitution and Bill of Rights before his ego. You need professional help. The rank and file LOVED their Sheriff for taking an active and vital role in doing his job as it was required. He was up against a governor who think’s he’s king, a county executive who tried to put the county jail system under control of the council as well as wanting to release hardened prisoners. Well her ‘endorsers’ are those who are going to use her like a puppet; so you can bet that what’s happening in King Co. will further spread to Sno. Co. and we’ll be stuck with an unqualified sheriff who had to move from King Co. to Sno. Co. just to run.
As some observed more than half a century ago, Liberalism is a mental illness. I don’t know how to treat it.
But no defeat is permanent. All the things J.D. Bonnar said are true. Some of the low information voters who got scared by the MSM and Johnson scream machine will end up being victims of her policies. They need to accept full responsibility for their own suffering. They knowingly and willingly did that to themselves because they chose to be manipulated by a campaign of fear and lies.
We can and will make Snohomish County great again. Sheriff Fortney, we salute you. It’s been an absolute honor having you as our Sheriff, and hopefully we will again.
Mega Dittos!
I
Fortney. Look at Johnson’s endorsements all top officials they all can’t be wrong. The age of bitter beat down cops are ending and should be called out.
They can all be wrong…just like the defund the police people are all wrong. Prepare for the return of ‘release criminals at the point of apprehension’ when they are determined to be on drugs…one of Johnson’s prior policies…follow the ‘no police pursuit’ crowd into total lawlessness. People with push-button emotional truth and no-knowledge name calling won’t be immune from their ignorance, nor will the rest of us.
The choice was between someone who will follow the law and another who chose otherwise. White Christian nationalism has no place in public office…
I agree Gerry. I am surprised at the level of ignorance in Snohomish County. Its like they dont have either coomon Sense nor the ability to do extensive research. And schills like Cathy whos obviously a Socialist has become the norm, and look what this same mentality did to Seattle.
LOL! Her endorsements are her political puppet masters! They’re only interested in micromanaging the office; hide behind their positions and ultimately to replace the ‘elected’ position with an ‘appointed’ position under the control of the council, like in King Co. where crime pays.
White Christian Nationalism has no place in any law enforcement agency. Aligning oneself with the Proud Boys and the Constitution Sheriff mythology immediately disqualifies anyone from public office. Congratulations Snohomish County… you have elected someone who will follow the law rather than being a blow hard spewing right wing rhetoric…
His opponent did NO such thing, and where is her reply to these slanderous accusations?
Your paper sucks.
Get some mental help immediately for your imaginary nonsense of supposed ‘white Christian nationalism’. Absurdly bringing up the Proud Boys is laughable. They’re founder just so happens to have ‘black’ skin; tough to be a ‘white nationalist’ but in your world it’s possible. If there’s any wacky nonsense being spread about it’s from the left; you know your terrorist buddies of Antifa, BLM, ELF, just stop oil and the latest, the supporters of Hamas. Go crawl back in your hole because you don’t care a lick about law and order or the constitution which Sheriff Fortney defended even for people like yourself. It won’t be protected under your new puppet in office.
He sounds JUST like the crybaby Proud Boys when they get outed! If you invite a white supremacist to your campaign event, you’re racist. If you pick and choose which laws to enforce, allowing a pandemic to spread because you either don’t believe in the science, or support right-wing pundits, you can’t be sheriff! It’s NOT the position of KING. It’s a law ENFORCEMENT role. If you rehire deputies found to have used excessive force, costing the county millions, we can’t afford you! Those are just a few of his “impeccable record.” If there was actual defamation, you could sue the Herald. But you can’t because they just printed FACTS. You can’t put lipstick on this pig. While I don’t condone anyone personally harassing anyone or their family, it pales in comparison to the violence done by white supremacist groups which, per the FBI, are deadliest terror threat in America. And he never met Susanna? What a liar. Good riddance. http://www.snoho.com/html/stories_2023/10252023_sheriffs_election_candidate_QA_snohomish_county.html?fbclid=IwAR3Oj9Tn5McpMXUJ8X9Y6BjBqvZBzCcKy6G1YvDYAf57jSS8YPPaMfOw3tY
I Agree with all of this. Thank you for putting this on here.
Racist Cathy. It’s so typical of individuals like yourself to project onto others what you actually are that don’t march in lockstep with the Fascist left ideology. We had 4 great years under Sheriff Fortney and now you’ve got your new sheriff, i.e. puppet of the politicians who care not about your rights, only what they can do to you and hide behind their position as they direct her to do their bidding. That’s really what they wanted anyway as they’re not interested in those that honor the Constitution and Bill of Rights which Sheriff Fortney fought for diligently against the powers that be, including ‘king’ Inslee and his ilk. Be careful what you wish for, you may get it as their real goal is to eliminate the elected position of sheriff and into an appointed position under the control of the council. Nothing like taking power away from the people and consolidating it under others you have little say.
God bless Sheriff Fortney; may he run to be reelected after this puppet’s term is over.
Thanks for proving every one of Sheriff Fortney’s points. The only real “supremacists” are those “ideological supremacists” that are represented by exactly the kinds of comments made by you. Shame on you for perpetuating lies and contributing to the already poisonous political discourse.
And now that everyone knows the Lynnwood Times is right-wing MAGA propaganda . . . act accordingly.
Kathy is a known racist and supporter of socialist so beware
Agree….100%
ROFL… Donald, is that you? 🙂
Cathy is a known racist and supporter of socialist so beware
I sup upon your hate and it sustains me.