Community Government
Charter Review Commission sends seven proposals to voters
The Pierce County Charter Review Commission sent seven proposed amendments to voters, and three more to the County Council. You’ll probably hear more about one of them than all the others combined.
The one that likely will generate the most discussion was designated proposal C-1. It would convert the position of Pierce County sheriff from elected to appointed.
The commission voted 12-9 during a nearly six-hour meeting on June 15 to place the question on the Nov. 3 ballot.
An amendment approved at the June 15 meeting specifies that “Effective January 1, 2027, the Sheriff shall cease to be an elective office, and the current term of office shall terminate.” So if voters approve the charter amendment, incumbent elected Sheriff Keith Swank would be out on Jan. 1.
Voters elected the 21-person commission last fall. It spent the first half of 2026 reviewing the county charter, which effectively is the local government version of a constitution.
Pierce County’s charter, which voters adopted in 1980, calls for election of a 21-person Charter Review Commission every 10 years. The commission can propose charter amendments for approval by voters, or send them to the County Council.
The commission consists of three members from each of seven Pierce County Council districts. Council District 7, which comprises the peninsulas and North Tacoma, picked Martha Lantz, Brenda Lykins and Justin Leighton for the Charter Review Commission.
The Pierce County Charter Review Commission on June 15, 2026. Image taken from video
Elected or appointed?
The question of whether the sheriff should be elected or appointed was the highest-profile issue the commission tackled. Several commissioners, on both sides of the issue, said more voters asked them about the sheriff question than anything else.
Swank, almost two years into a tumultuous first term as sheriff, framed the proposal as an effort to remove him from office.
Charter Review commissioners who opposed the proposal argued that making the sheriff appointed would take a key decision out of the hands of voters. Some also warned against placing too much power in the hands of the county executive, who would be responsible for appointing the sheriff. The position would be subject to county council approval.
Amendment sponsor Jake Hunter of Tacoma said having an appointed sheriff would allow for a hiring process that “focuses on qualifications rather than political popularity.”
An appointed sheriff could be screened for skills like managing large public entities and budgets as well, he added.
Pierce county voters have flip-flopped on the sheriff question over the years. The position was elected from the founding of the county in 1852 until the voter-approved home rule charter made it appointed in 1980. In 2006, voters approved a proposal from that year’s Charter Review Commission to switch back to an elected sheriff.
Jan. 1, 2027
Leighton proposed adjusting the amendment to end Swank’s term, and make the position of sheriff appointed, effective Jan. 1.
“I’ve been pretty forward during my time in running for office. The voters in my district (District 7, which includes Gig Harbor) knew very well were I stood on this,” Leighton said. “It’s really a community conversation that’s been happening well before the current sheriff.”
Charter Review Commissioner Caleb Heimlich of Puyallup supports an elected sheriff and opposed the amendment to make it appointed. But if voters choose to make the post appointed, he argued, it should happen after Swank’s current term ends.
Heimlich countered Leighton’s proposal with an amendment that would make the sheriff position appointed starting Jan. 1, 2029. In addition to allowing Swank to serve out his term, that would mean voters could face the next county executive election knowing that their selection would appoint the new sheriff. Heimlich’s proposal failed on an 11-10 vote.
Commissioner Hollie Rogge of Eatonville warned against placing too much power in the hands of the county executive office.
“This is one of many amendments and proposals that you will see that gives the executive power over another currently elected office,” Rogge said. “To me, this is an executive office power grab. … My constituents put me here to ensure that we keep our elected sheriff.”
Other charter amendment proposals
Pierce County voters also will weigh in on six other proposed charter amendments. They include:
Modernization of anti-discrimination language
The charter already includes a nondiscrimination statement that bars discrimination against people “because of race, creed, color, sex, age, handicap or any other basis not reasonably related to the accomplishment of a legitimate government purpose.”
The amendment would change the language to bar discrimination “on account of sex; race; color; national origin or ancestry; creed; disability; sexual orientation; gender identity or expression; age except by minimum age and retirement provision; genetic testing results; status as a family caregiver; pregnancy, childbirth or lactation; military or veteran status; or any other basis not reasonably related to the accomplishment of a legitimate governmental purpose.”
Swank testified against the proposal at the June 8 meeting and again on 15. On June 8, he called the language change “offensive to me” and said it discriminates against “normal people.”
“Since the left has taken over our language, no one is accountable,” the sheriff said. “It’s always someone else’s problem — not the alcoholic, the drug addict or the homeless person’s fault. Until we start holding people accountable, we will continue living in squalor.”
Council rules of procedure
The charter currently requires the county council to “meet at least once in each of fifty weeks.” The amendment removes “once in each of fifty weeks” and changes it to “fourty-five times.” It also adds that “All meetings where public comment is required by law or rule shall have an option for remote attendance and public comment.”
Juvenile detention oversight
The proposed amendment would add a new section to the charter creating a Juvenile Detention Advocate Office within the Juvenile Division.
The office would “be available to juvenile detainees and their families to receive and respond to complaints, monitor conditions and comply with regulations governing mandatory reporters.” The Superior Court would appoint the director of the office, which would be supervised by the county executive and the Superior Court presiding judge.
Four-year financial outlook
This proposed amendment directs the county’s chief financial officer to create a four-year budget outlook for the current expense fund. The outlook “shall establish that projected expenditures under the proposed budget do not exceed projected available funds over the forecast period.” The amendment also directs the county council to “consider the outlook” when it adopts the county’s biennial budget.
Sheriff ombuds
The amendment would create a Public Safety Ombuds position “to provide independent executive oversight of the executive department of Sheriff and its employees.”
The proposal directs the county council to select the ombuds from among three candidates submitted by a five-person panel. The panel would include representatives appointed by the county executive, the county sheriff, Superior Court judges, the Pierce County Bar Association and the largest Sheriff’s Department union.
The amendment gives the ombuds subpoena power and directs the sheriff to “cooperate fully and in good faith” with requests.
Initiative signature gathering time lines
Initiative petitioners would have 180 calendar days, instead of the current 120, to collect the signatures of registered voters for county ballot measures. The amendment would not change the standard for the number of signatures initiative sponsors must acquire to place an initiative on the ballot: 10% of the votes cast in the most recent election for county executive.
Referred to council
The Charter Review Commission also referred three proposed amendments to the County Council. Those include:
Replace coroner with medical examiner
The county has used a medical examiner since 1984, but the charter still references a coroner. The amendment would clean up and modernize language.
Young persons commission
This amendment would create a “Young Persons Commission” with three members from each county council district.
Executive pro tempore vacancies in office
The proposal “consolidates and modernizes vacancy, accountability and continuity-of-government provisions” within the charter. It also “expands and clarifies grounds for vacancy and suspension tied to official misconduct while aligning them to due process protections and existing legal standards.”