Standing in front of a large backlit cross onstage at the North Shore Bible Church in Manson, Wa., incumbent Sheriff Brian Burnett lied to the citizens of Chelan County on the evening of Sept. 28, 2022.
He said the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office has been honoring all of its contracts. But this summer, the Sheriff’s Office did not perform the marine patrol duties on Lake Chelan they were contracted to do, according to a source in Chelan City government.
“Not one ticket was issued on Lake Chelan from July to September - their boat never moved,” one Chelan boat owner said.
We talked about that fib and other interesting portions of the forum-turned-debate in Manson this week on our Community Issues podcast on La Pera Radio. You can listen to that episode in this post.
At one point, the moderator called Sheriff Burnett out for his lack of decorum and open hostility toward Morrison. He told Burnett that it wasn’t a debate – it was a forum. He then gave Morrison extra time to respond after Burnett made some rather pointed conspiracy-minded remarks about Morrison’s alleged strategy to sow “half-truths” and misinformation about Burnett’s administration in order to discredit him and his leadership.
But by then, the horse was out of the barn.
What was intended to be a forum turned into verbal pugilism, with a hot under-the-collar Burnett pursuing an aloof Morrison around the metaphorical ring for a few unsatisfying rounds before they both retreated to opposite sides of the folding table and took questions from the rather sparse crowd.
You can watch that portion here:
Morrison’s whataboutism in response to the Jan. 6 attack question should be noted. What happened in Portland and Seattle in the summer of 2020 was not legal behavior, but no one in the CHAZ/CHOP zone was trying to stop the peaceful transfer of power in our nation’s capital.
What should also be noted is Burnett’s unwillingness to admit the fact that he, as a sheriff, is under the authority of the courts. For an elected official who has been identified as belonging to a group of “extremist” elected officials who embrace the “Patriot” agenda by the Southern Poverty Law Center, his response to the question of judicial review could be viewed as quite concerning. I think it’s worth asking the question: “Does Sheriff Burnett consider himself to be a constitutional sheriff?”
It’s a question I would like to ask him at a similar forum, should I get the chance. I’d ask him that question via his website or social media, but the campaign has not responded to any of my emails and has a bad habit of deleting my comments with questions on their Facebook page.
You can watch the full forum, including the portion featuring County Commissioner candidates Shon Smith and Anne Hessburg, online here.
Breaking Down The Chelan County Sheriff's Debate in Manson on La Pera Radio