Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
DAVENPORT-It took just one retirement announcement for Gabe Gants to decide to throw his hat into the five-man race for Lincoln County Sheriff.
Gants, a sergeant and 18-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office, made his decision when now-former Sheriff Wade Magers announced he wouldn't seek reelection this November.
"I really wasn't going to make my decision until I knew what the current situation with the administration was," Gants said. "All the employees up there asked me to run at one point or another, and our office went through quite a bit of adversity the last couple years...I got the sense from the guys that (I) can bring us together."
Gants is the lone candidate presently employed by the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, and one of three, along with Andy Manke and Brian Telford, with LCSO experience. He was sworn in as interim Sheriff for the rest of 2022 by the county commissioners last week.
His main focus if elected to a four-year term would be employee retention.
"For a lot of years, that was culture-driven why we couldn't keep people," Gants said. "What we're seeing now is the competitive side, like Spokane County offering $25,000 bonuses, and we can't compete with that."
To encourage new hires, Gants is adamant about a local testing option rather than an online application process.
"We have people that don't even know where Lincoln County is, so if we have a local option, you're more than willing to apply if you're outside the county, but at least come out here and test," Gants said. "That helps our local folks that are interested in the career, they can test a lot easier."
Gants said the current department isn't "broken," contrary to belief.
"There's this myth out there that we're broken, and I don't think we're broken," Gants said. "I hear from others that we're this house that fell over...I see us more as a house that needs a fresh coat of paint, might need some rain gutters. Little things to improve on."
However, Gants said former administration wasn't always transparent with employees, which he would hope to change.
"When we have administrative meetings, have them open to the deputies, dispatch, anybody can come," Gants said. "You have to tell it like it is."
The issue of whether cities and municipalities should contract with the Sheriff's Office or maintain/create their own departments is a complicated one, Gants said.
"My biggest concern for the cities would be, if we're not able to compete with neighboring agencies, there's no way they can compete with us," Gants said. "If they can adequately staff it and it's what they want, they'll probably at times have a more personable service, because they're setting the direction of what their department does and doesn't do, but my biggest concern for them would be retention, liability, the true cost."
Gants is running against Jeff Barden, Adam Johnson, Manke and Telford for Sheriff.
BIO
Position sought: Sheriff
Age: 41
Hometown: Davenport
Current city of residence: Davenport
Family: Married with three children
Relevant experience: Interim Lincoln County Sheriff, Lincoln County Sergeant, Lincoln County patrol deputy, Lincoln County school resource officer
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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