Five questions with sheriff candidate Ryan Spurling

1. Why did you decide to run for Sheriff?

 There are five main reasons that I am running for Sheriff. I love our Communities in Mason County and I am committed to seeing your Sheriff’s Office meet the ever-changing challenges that society has placed on Law Enforcement (LE).

I believe that attaining a peaceful society is the responsibility of every citizen as they partner with those who are called to the profession of Law Enforcement. I have been serving in LE for 34+ years and I know this is what I have been called to do. My training and experience have prepared me to serve you and our county.

Mason County is growing, and we must prepare for the future. Your elected County leaders must look not to ourselves, but to the future and to the legacy we leave for our Children and Grandchildren.

I believe your Sheriff’s Office has the potential to become the best Sheriff’s Office in the State of Washington. The Sheriff’s Office has amazing, smart, and compassionate employees who love to serve you and NOW MORE THEN EVER, they must have experienced, values-driven leadership.

The Sheriffs in the United States are the only elected Law Enforcement Officials in the world and this extremely important position must be occupied by an individual who has a long-term, proven reputation of selfless service and integrity in both Law Enforcement and in our communities.

2. What are some of the things you want to improve within the Sheriff’s Office?

3. How do you plan to build more trust between the Sheriff’s Office and Mason County residents?

These two questions will be answered at the same time.

The Mason County Sheriff’s Office must continue to improve at connecting with and protecting our citizens.

I will ensure that the Sheriff’s Office is transparent and responsible with your tax dollars.

I will be accessible to every citizen as your Sheriff to hear and address your concerns.

I will work to build even stronger working relationships with other community leaders and elected officials to ensure our maximum effort is directed to the betterment of the community.

I will lead the office in the strengthening of our community connections. We will establish more neighborhood watch groups that will be connected to Zone Deputies. These Deputies will be the community point of contact for ongoing concerns.

We will establish a small, dedicated response team to concentrate on locations experiencing high levels of crime or traffic concerns.

4. What did you learn from outgoing Sheriff Casey Salisbury?

This would take a long time to fully answer but I will attempt to distill it down to a few main lessons he has bestowed on me as my Sheriff. (Sheriff Salisbury is the 40th Elected Sheriff of Mason County and the longest serving Sheriff in the history of Mason County since 1854. He has served four terms.)

He has taught me to love our communities and that all our communities are important.

He has taught me to always ask first- “What is best for our citizens and communities.”

He has taught me how to value individuals as a LE official.

He has taught me how to care for our Deputies so they can care for the citizens.

He has taught me how to use my individual strengths as a leader to benefit Mason County.

He has taught me how to foster relationships that help our communities.

He has taught me how to serve the County as the Sheriff.

5. What crimes are most common in Mason County and what is your plan to decrease those?

Like most Counties of our size, we struggle with property crimes like burglary and theft along with other crimes, but experience teaches us that we will not reduce these crimes through education and programs alone, we must be able to make arrests and hold people accountable. Although the Sheriff’s Office does not have the authority to build a new Jail, we must work with the County Commissioners to assist them as they navigate the challenge of finding a new solution to house prisoners. We must have this critical piece to move forward.

Through the three-pronged approach of education, programs, and accountability, we know we will reduce crimes in Mason County and improve our ability to pursue life, liberty, and happiness.