(The Center Square) – Pierce County Sheriff Keith Swank could be out of a job by the first of the year if voters approve an amendment headed for the November ballot.
In a surprise move Monday night, the Pierce County Charter Review Commission amended a proposal to the general election that previously only contained language about making the sheriff an appointed, rather than elected, position.
The change offered by Commissioner Justin Leighton, who serves District 7, which includes Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, and parts of North Tacoma, added language to terminate Swank’s four-year term early, on Jan. 1, 2027.
“Let the final say be in November,” Leighton said during the late night meeting.
In a Tuesday interview with The Center Square, Leighton elaborated on why he offered the new language to end Swank’s term early.
“The voters I believe need a clean up or down decision,” he said. “In my mind this is a clean up or down vote on the idea of appointed sheriff or an elected sheriff.”
Leighton said the commission has a responsibility every ten years to update the charter.
“This is the moment where we change our county’s constitution, so to speak,” he said. “So, this is the time that moves forward. At the end of the day, we the charter are not deciding anything. We are deciding what is put forward for consideration by the voters and they will decide.”
Commissioner Holly Rogge did not support the original or amended version of C-1, the proposal approved by the majority Monday night.
“I am deeply disappointed in the commissioners who voted to override the will of the people by inserting an amendment into C-1 that prematurely ends the Sheriff’s term in January 2027,” Rogge said in a statement to The Center Square on Tuesday.
“This amendment demonstrates this isn’t about the office of the sheriff – it’s a calculated attempt to remove our duly elected Sheriff Swank. And that is wrong,” Rogge wrote.
Ahead of the Monday evening vote, Swank testified during public comment in the same provocative tone he has taken in other public meetings, pushing back on attempts to change the office of the sheriff.
“I hope you guys want to hear what I say, so the people who file complaints against me can file a couple more,” said Swank. “I’m proud that I have more complaints than any other officer or sheriff in the state.”
Swank then launched into a series of highly charged comments, including comments on the use of words including “transgender” and “undocumented immigrant” and saying “protesters” are “terrorists” and “radical leftists” are really “racist, Nazis and fascists” and said climate change is a “man-made hoax.”
“I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but I think I’m being sold down the river,” he concluded.
Swank left the meeting after public comment so was not in attendance when the commission began discussing amending the proposal to end his term early.
Swank is in the second year of his first four-year term, which he was elected to in November 2024.
In a Tuesday interview, Swank told The Center Square he was not expecting the amendment tweak to remove him from office to come first of the year if voters approve the charter change to make sheriff an appointed position.
“I was surprised to hear that this was added to the C-1 amendment. I’m not surprised about who put it up there. I’ve been watching that guy [Leighton] and his disrespect to the commissioners. He’s just a hateful person, so he probably hates me with every fiber of his body.”
“I think it’s unconstitutional,” Swank added. “But if it’s not, I sure hope it pisses off the people…the voters in Pierce County.”
If voters approve the charter amendment in November, Pierce County would be the second county in the state that appoints, rather than elects a sheriff. King County is the other.