Wade Nelson throws hat into ring

SPOKANE VALLEY-There are now two men who want to be the next Sheriff of Spokane County. Wade Nelson is the newest candidate to throw his hat into the ring. Undersheriff John Nowels did so back in January.

Current Sheriff, Ozzie Knezovich, will not run for re-election but has endorsed Nowels. Both Nowels and Nelson have registered as Republicans.

"I've been with the Sheriff's office for almost 21 years. I've worked under Ozzie and John Nowels for a very long time," Nelson said.

Despite the two decade relationship with Knezovich and Nowels, Nelson feels there's a communication problem between the Sheriff, leadership and others who work for the department.

"For the past four or five years, there's been a disconnect between the guys who work for him (Ozzie Knezovich) and the command staff," Nelson said. "It's come to a point where it's almost cancerous within our department."

Nelson served in the US Navy for six years as an Intelligence Specialist. He joined the Spokane County Sheriff's Office in 2001 and has served as a Deputy in a variety of departments including Patrol, Emergency Management, and Marine Enforcement. He also worked as a Search & Rescue Coordinator, Defensive Tactics Lead Instructor, Women's Self-Defense Lead Instructor, Civil Deputy, and Sexual Assault Unit Detective.

Nelson was raised just outside of Creston, Wash. He has three brothers. Two older and one younger than him. Nelson is married with three grown children, a son, and two daughters. He took a leave of absence from the Sheriff's department last year to explore other career options.

"I decided to do that at that point in my career because things were just getting horrible," Nelson said. "I was not happy with how things were going with the administration."

John Nowels also recently spoke to the Valley New Herald. He questions Nelson's motivations for getting into the sheriff's race.

"We were in the midst of one of the worst staffing crises we've ever had last year and he elected to leave," Nowels said. "Now, here you (Nelson) are 11 months later wanting to be the sheriff and lead the agency you left?"

Nelson explained that when he saw Nowels was running for sheriff he was compelled to get into the race.

"I cannot let him be the next sheriff," Nelson said. "He's been under Ozzie for seven years and it's going to be the same story we've had with Ozzie. He's going to be Ozzie 2.0 in my view."

Nowels has been with the Spokane County Sheriff's Office for over 24 years. He was promoted to Undersheriff in 2019. Nowels has lived in Spokane County most of his life. He graduated from Central Valley High School in 1991. He has a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Eastern Washington University and a master's degree from the University of Oklahoma. He also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.

"I believe qualifications and preparation to be the sheriff matter a whole lot," Nowels said. "Particularly when someone wants to lead an organization of 300 people. My resume certainly speaks to that where his (Nelson's) is lacking in my opinion."

Nelson feels that Spokane County residents aren't currently getting what they deserve from the Sheriff's department.

"We have lost a lot of people. We're not recruiting well. We're not talking to the public and we're not being transparent enough," he said. "John Nowels has been seven years in the number two position this whole time. I do not foresee him looking to the future for any significant change."

Nelson has held a significant amount of roles within the Sheriff's department, but Nowels believes he's short on administrative experience.

"I think it's very difficult for someone to be out of law enforcement for a year and decide they want to come back and lead an agency when they've never held a leadership position in that agency," Nowels said.

Nelson disagrees and believes that he has demonstrated his leadership abilities.

"In Search and Rescue, I ran 11 different units with over 150 volunteers. I took all of the leadership roles in the training of our department, things like that, that really mattered and made a difference," Nelson said. "I took more of a hands-on leadership role in our department."

Both campaigns are still in their early stages but each candidate is working hard to get his message out.

"The thrust of my campaign is to connect the sheriff's department to our community, more than we already are, through a neighborhood resource deputy program," Nowels said.

Both Nowels and Nelson want to convince voters that they are the best choice to be Spokane County's next Sheriff.

"I will be that guy who brings change, that brings transparency back to the Sheriff's office so there's an open dialogue," Nelson said. "So that the people that are working for the Sheriff's office aren't going to feel beat down and will have pride in their jobs again."

There may still be others that hope to follow Ozzie Knezovich in the county's top law enforcement position. Candidates have until the May 20 deadline to file.