Letter to Editor | Sheriff Ron Krebs is a long-time islander

||| FROM SUSAN WINGATE |||

I’m Susan Wingate. I’ve lived in Friday Harbor for twenty-five years and I’m voting to re-elect Ron Krebs for San Juan County, WA Sheriff.

It was fall 2018 when Bob could still drive. That’s when I first learned that Ron Krebs was more than just a public figure but also a friend. Bob and I wanted yard signs for his re-election campaign for sheriff. He came to our home after work and the three of us sat around and discussed the The Little Store, my books, and Ron’s campaign. We also talked about crime and law. I’m a big advocate of law and order. My uncle was an attorney in Phoenix before he passed away in 1996, the same year my dad died, and a year before I moved to the island.

Since 2015, Ron and his crew have assisted us personally and professionally and have always been accessible when we’ve needed help at our store or home. From scrapes with people who wanted to cause us harm whether directly at The Little Store or at our home and around the neighborhood, Ron’s team have always acted fast and with empathy and courtesy when responding to our calls for assistance.

Ron is an islander from way back, since before he moved back permanently in 2007 when he came to work at the Sheriff’s office. He knows the island way and the people who live here. He understands nuances of enforcing laws here while applying them fairly.

July 2017, I went on a ride-along with Deputy Eric Gardner. The ride-along was arranged by Under Sheriff Zac Reimer who cleared it with Sheriff Ron Krebs. Typically, a ride-along is arranged for people who might want to join the team of the San Juan County Sheriff’s office. I thought it would be a slow island ride but then things heated up when a young man threatened to kill himself by hanging. The night went into warp speed. It was raining and the young man went missing. All the deputies knew him. It would be a tragedy if he killed himself. They all worried for this man.

After an hour-long search, thankfully, they located him. He was at his wit’s end. Ron stepped up and began talking him down. I watched from the car as law enforcement—Ron, Eric Gardner, and two other deputies, tried to help. Finally, the man agreed to go to the hospital, and they called the night a success. The ride-along started at five in the evening and finished at eleven-thirty. After, I was rung out. Mine was only a six-hour ordeal and these people in law enforcement do this every day. And why? Because they want to help the people in our community.

That’s why I’m voting to re-elect Ron Krebs. We have some expert men and women on the island whose personal goals align with our personal needs for them to serve us and protect us.