Catching up with the challengers: A former Republican Sheriff, Rick Bart, hopes to inspire trust in voters in the 2nd

Former Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart (R-Arlington) is running for U.S. House in the 2nd District in part because he just isn't ready to call it quits on public service. Bart spent his entire 35 year law enforcement career in the Snohomish County Sheriff's office before term limits forced him out of his job as Sheriff.

"To tell you the truth I just don't feel right, I still feel young at 59," Bart told PolitickerWA in an interview earlier this week. "I want to do something. I want to go to the next level."

He hopes that next level will be the Congressional seat currently held by his friend, Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Arlington). Nothing against Larsen, whom Bart refers to on a first name basis, he just thinks that Congress has lost its luster in the country, and in the 2nd District.

Bart, currently a constituent, feels that citizens do not trust that Congress will do the right thing and be effective. When he served as Sheriff of Snohomish County for 12 years, Bart said that job #1 was earning and keeping the trust of the public.

"If you don't have the trust, you have nothing. I worked in a non-partisan role where we got things done that mattered," Bart said of his time as Sheriff. "I don't see congress doing that."

Bart says he has been talking to people all over the district and he continues to hear the same thing, that they are "just fed up" with Congress.

"I think that's huge, I think that's the message that people are going to listen to," Bart predicted. "I think Rick [Larsen] is afraid of that more than anything else."

To emphasize the point, Bart related the story of talking to a business owner in his district who insisted that he would not donate any money to his campaign until he was convinced he was not "just another politician". This man wanted to get behind somebody he believed could get something done.

"Until you can show me you're going to show some honest leadership," the man told Bart, "I'm not going to give you any money."

That frustration, combined with his desire to work in the public interest, is driving Bart's campaign. He feels that part of it also comes from partisan bickering that turns off most voters and keeps elected officials from enacting good policy.

"Every time I lobbied for the Sheriff's association, [Larsen] would always tell us there is not enough money to go around, which is true, and he would immediately blame George Bush. That's not leadership to me."

Bart detests the political convenience of scapegoating party leaders, whether it is the Democrats blaming everything on President George Bush or Bart's own colleagues shifting the onus on Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"When I hear that as a voter I just cringe," Bart says. "I want to hear you working together back there to get things done."

Although he is a Republican, Bart's moderate views don't put him too far away from Larsen on the ideology scale. "There's a lot of it that I agree with," Bart said of his opponent's policy views. "But there are at least a couple places you can find some difference."

For instance, Bart is a major advocate of victims of violent crimes and President of Families & Friends of Violent Crime Victims, a group that provides support and information for those who have been impacted by a violent crime or murder.

"We've been struggling with this Congress trying to get increased funding," he said, "and we keep being told by Rick and others that there wasn't enough, and blaming the war in Iraq and the President. After I did my homework I realized congress is earmarking all kinds of things, why can't they earmark more money for victims of crime?"

Another place is Social Security. It bothers him that they are spending the surplus, citing a statistic that says in 8 years the Social Security program will be paying out more out than it receives.

"Right now they're just spending that money thinking, ‘It's okay. We'll take care of it later.' I think that's wrongheaded."

In fact, Bart is a strong supporter of the major government entitlement programs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. He believes it is part of government's responsibility to future generations.

"I don't care if you think it's a traditionally Democratic issue, I'm going to talk about it," Bart said. "I think we have an obligation to our kids."

Although he has never held a true partisan office, Bart is no stranger to Congress. He considers 8th District Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn), another former Sheriff, a great friend. They have known each other since their days as homicide detectives when they met on the Green River task force. The two later helped to form the Tri-county Sheriff's Association of King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, where they discussed regional solutions to problems like transit and homeland security.

"I talked to him before I made my decision to run," Bart said of Reichert. "Early on we talked 2-3 times a week."

Perhaps it is his familiarity with Reichert's own rise from law enforcer to lawmaker, or maybe his familiarity with Congress from his experience lobbying them on behalf of the National Association of Sheriffs where he sat on the board or the Washington Association of County Officials of which he was President, but Bart is confident he can run a big, successful campaign. His goal is to raise a million dollars, and he thinks he will do it.

"I'm pretty confident that we're going to be able to raise enough money to give Rick a good race," Bart said.

Bart, who has two part-time staffers in political veterans Jamie Beletz and David Kinnison, also enjoys a large level of name recognition around the district from his days as Sheriff and his local connections.

"I have community ties to all 5 counties, born in [Sedro] Wooley, family and friends in other counties," Bart explained. "Everywhere I go and talk to people, they already know who I am. That's the first big leap, name familiarity."

He also has the experience of having successfully run for Sheriff multiple times.

"I know what it takes to run a campaign, get my message out," Bart said. "Like I'm telling everybody, I'm going to do it one person at a time."

That tactic, one person at a time, is a good way to earn the trust of a district. If the voters of the 2nd have the same issues with Congress that Sheriff Bart does, then maybe he can extend the Western Washington story line of a moderate Republican Sheriff looking after the slightly more Democratic public first here in the county, then way out in Washington, D.C.