Opinion ID: 6218053
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Petition II

Text: Shortly after Shavlik’s first petition, a separate group of voters known as “the Committee to Recall Snohomish County Sheriff Adam Fortney” (Committee) filed a recall petition against Sheriff Fortney containing five charges. 3 CP at 258-321. The superior court found four of the charges sufficient. Id. at 351-52. Those four charges read as follows: 1. Adam Fortney endangered the peace and safety of the community and violated his statutory duties under RCW 36.28.010 and/or 36.28.011 and/or oath of office by declaring that he has not and will not enforce Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home – Stay Healthy” proclamation; 2. Adam Fortney endangered the peace and safety of the community and violated his statutory duties under RCW 36.28.010 and/or 36.28.011 and/or oath of office by inciting the public to violate Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home – Stay Healthy” proclamation; 3. Adam Fortney endangered the peace and safety of the community, violated his statutory duties under RCW 36.28.010, and exercised discretion in a manifestly unreasonable manner by rehiring three deputy sheriffs previously discharged following investigation and findings of misconduct; and 4. Adam Fortney violated his statutory duties under RCW 36.28.011 and/or 36.28.020 and exercised discretion in a manifestly unreasonable manner by making a public statement on March 27, 2020 that absolved a deputy sheriff of asserted wrongdoing for 3 In re Recall of Fortney, No. 99804-3 tackling a black woman related to a jaywalking incident without ensuring a proper investigation. In re Recall of Fortney, 196 Wn.2d 766, 770, 478 P.3d 1061 (2021). On appeal, we held the second and third charges were factually sufficient but reversed the trial court on the fourth charge as legally and factually insufficient. Ultimately the Committee failed to file any signatures, ending the second recall petition. 4 CP at 642.