Joe Nole

Courtesy photo

Jefferson County Sheriff Joe Nole has announced he will seek a second term as county sheriff.

Nole, a Democrat, was elected to the post in 2018. He officially registered as a candidate in the race with the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission, the agency that serves as a watchdog on campaign financing, on Jan. 10.

“These last four years I have proven my leadership as we have all been impacted by COVID, the call for racial justice, and law enforcement reform,” Nole said.

“With the help of the great deputies that work tirelessly for all of us I have continued to demonstrate my ability to partner with the community and other agencies in dealing with local mental health, substance abuse, homelessness, and enforcing the law,” he added.

Nole has a history in law enforcement that stretches back 39 years, including 32 years with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and seven years as a backcountry ranger with the U.S. Forest Service in the Quilcene Ranger District.

With the sheriff’s office, Nole, 65, has served as a patrol deputy, a detective, chief criminal deputy, appointed sheriff, and undersheriff.

Nole was first elected in November 2018, and beat David Stanko for the post with 62 percent of the vote. It was his first run for elected office.

“I am running for reelection as sheriff to continue the task of promoting and maintaining a positive law enforcement presence in our community,” Nole said in his announcement to seek a second term. “I will continue to ensure a caring, trustworthy, helpful, and dependable group of deputies and corrections staff that treat others how they would want to be treated and how they would want their loved ones treated.”

A Chimacum resident who grew up in Tacoma, Nole graduated from Evergreen State College in 1983 with a bachelor of science degree in biology/ecology.

He joined the Forest Service as a backcountry ranger, living out of a two-person tent in the Buckhorn Wilderness of Jefferson County.

Nole went back to college in 1986 for a bachelor of arts degree at Central Washington University in secondary education while continuing to work summers as a ranger in the Quilcene Ranger District.

He then taught high school biology and chemistry for a couple of years in Kitsap County, mainly as a substitute teacher, before going back into law enforcement full-time.

“I said it before and I’ll say it again: I sincerely care about the people living in this community. My family and I are part of it,” Nole said. “I am dedicated to this community and the people that comprise it and take the job of sheriff, and the impact the sheriff’s office can have on the community, very seriously.”

Nole has been married for 43 years, and he lives with his wife Teri in Chimacum. The couple have three daughters who also live in Jefferson County.

He promised to continue to run the sheriff’s office “in a professional, responsible manner that is inclusive of all with whom we interact.”

“During my many years as a law enforcement officer I continue to see first-hand the many personal and family struggles faced by our neighbors, including mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness. I have not stopped believing that short comings in our society have a direct impact on these issues,” he added.

“I have used, and will continue to use, the office of sheriff to address these concerns and make local improvements where I can that give people the help and understanding they need to end the cycle of continual contact with law enforcement and other first responders.”