Kitsap County voters choosing a new sheriff this fall are weighing two very different résumés against the same grim backdrop: a projected $9 million budget gap, and a sheriff's office with 125 deputies, roughly half the statewide average of 237. Brandon Myers, the department's current chief of patrol, and Rick Kuss, a King County deputy sheriff and Navy veteran, are both running to replace former Sheriff John Gese, who resigned effective June 29.
The vacancy has reshaped the race. Gese's departure triggered what the Kitsap Sun described as mass leadership departures within the sheriff's office this year, and the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners named Lieutenant Ken Dickinson interim sheriff in August, pending completion of state-mandated background checks, according to a county bulletin posted on GovDelivery. That same bulletin named Chief Brandon Myers of Patrol and Chief Jeff Menge of Detectives as the other internal candidates considered for the role. Myers announced his campaign for sheriff on Jan. 27, joining Kuss in the race, per the Kitsap Sun's reporting.
Myers was born and raised in Kitsap County and had 23 years with the sheriff's office; at the time, he was a detective sergeant.
Diverging Paths to the Same Badge
Kuss took a different route. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1997 and was stationed aboard the USS Carl Vinson in Bremerton in 1999, later retiring as a lieutenant commander. He earned a master's degree in criminal justice and is now pursuing a Ph.D. in criminal justice leadership while serving as a deputy sheriff for King County. He ran as a Republican against Gese in the 2022 election before joining King County's force, the Kitsap Sun reported. Kuss also volunteers with Scarlet Road and Hope Worldwide.
The two candidates have also drawn different partisan lines. Myers says he will take a nonpartisan approach to the office, though his Public Disclosure Commission filing lists him as a Democrat, the Kitsap Sun noted. Kuss, by contrast, ran as a Republican in 2022.
A Budget Crisis Looms Over the Campaign
Both candidates are campaigning against the backdrop of a sheriff's office staring down serious cuts. Kitsap County officials began the 2027 budget process on Sept. 21 to address a $9 million gap, according to a report republished by Yahoo News. Commissioners are weighing a 0.1% sales and use tax dedicated to public safety; without it, the county may have to eliminate 45 to 60 positions countywide. The sheriff's office alone says it would need to lay off nine deputies and 12 corrections employees to stay within its projected $61.5 million budget for next year.
The cuts under discussion would hit specific units. Proposed deputy reductions include five patrol positions, two traffic-enforcement positions and two community-resource deputy positions, the outlet's report states. North Kitsap, where only five deputies currently cover the region, could lose overnight patrol coverage entirely. Inside the jail, which already has 14 vacant positions, additional reductions could leave some incarcerated people confined to their cells for up to 22 hours a day.
Kitsap County currently has 125 deputies on staff, roughly half the state average of 237, ranking it 36th among Washington's 39 counties in sheriff staffing per the same report. The department has already reduced SWAT training opportunities to fund overtime and keep patrol positions filled, even as it faces roughly 875 hours of additional unfunded training obligations.
Staffing Shortages Become a Campaign Issue
Kuss has pledged to set clear expectations and priorities while removing organizational barriers within the department.
Myers said HB 2015 only buys time on the underlying funding problems facing the department.
Jail Healthcare Costs
Jail medical costs have been rising in Kitsap County.
Public Safety Priorities
Kuss has said he wants to focus on the fentanyl crisis.
Kitsap County voters will decide between the two candidates in the Nov. 3 election, with ballots anticipated to be mailed the week of Oct. 12.
