Incumbent, Deputies Vie for Walla Co. Sheriff Post

WALLA WALLA - Walla Walla County Sheriff John Turner faces two challengers in his race for re-election to a second term this year. Patrol Sergeants Barry Blackman and Tom Cooper both filed this year to challenge Turner. All three candidates are running as Republicans.

After the August 5 primary ballot count, the top two vote-getters will move on to the general election in November.

The three candidates have run a contentious campaign so far. Both Blackman and Cooper have accused Turner of mishandling personnel issues and budget matters during his first term. Turner strongly denies those accusations. The claims and counter-claims were detailed at length in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin last week, and are also spelled out in the candidates' campaign web sites.

John Turner

John Turner was first elected in 2010 to replace retiring Sheriff Mike Humphries. He has lived in Walla Walla for ten years.

Turner grew up in Los Angeles and joined the Los Angeles Police Department after receiving a Bachelor's Degree in the mid 1980s from the University of Southern California. He also received a law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles.

According to his web site, Turner later worked as a private attorney, primarily representing law enforcement personnel in administrative, civil and criminal cases.

In 2004, Turner and his Wife , Jacqui, moved to Walla Walla, when he became managing partner at Ash Hollow Winery. John and Jacqui are both descendents of Walla Walla County farm families. Turner is great grandson of Frederick Hofer, who came to the Prescott area and began farming in 1870. The farm is still in the family, and Turner has many relatives in the area.

According to his website, Turner "spent the better parts of 2008 and 2009 in Iraq serving as a Law Enforcement Professional (LEP) counter-terrorism investigator/ rule of law advisor embedded with US Army combat units."

When Humphries announced his retirement in 2010, Turner joined a threeway race, against Jim Romine and Bill White, and was elected.

Turner cites several accomplishments during his first term as Sheriff, including establishing 24/7 patrol coverage in the county, establishing the "Sheriffs Roundtable" community meetings around the county, including in Waitsburg, and re-establishing patrol K-9 teams.

Barry Blackman

Barry Blackman has served in the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Office for 32 years. He was born and raised in Walla Walla and has lived there his entire life, except for time spent in the military.

Blackman enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1978 and worked four years as an Aircraft Electrical Systems Technician. He left the Marines as a Sergeant.

He started at the Walla Walla County Jail as a custodial officer in 1982 and became a Sergeant at the jail in 1986. In 1991, Blackman became a patrol officer, and later served as a Patrol Sergeant and a detective. He was appointed Chief Deputy by Turner in 2011. Blackman had supported Turner in his 2010.

In February 2013, Turner demoted Blackman to Patrol Sergeant and hired John King, a retired Los Angeles police officer, to replace him. Turner and Blackman dispute the chain of events that led to Blackman's demotion.

He has served as Patrol Sergeant since.

Blackman and his wife, Chris, have three children.

Blackman points out on his website that he began working for local farmers when he was nine, and has worked since. "This experience provided me structure and a strong work ethic that helped me overcome many of the obstacles that being poor presented," he said.

Tom Cooper

Tom Cooper is a native of Everett, Wash. He came to Walla Walla Community College on a football scholarship in 1982. He earned an AA degree in Criminal Justice there. He later worked as an athletic instructor at the Walla Walla YMCA.

Cooper joined the Walla Walla County Sheriff's Department in 1989 as a corrections officer. He became a Deputy Sheriff in 1995 and was promoted to patrol supervisor in 2008, the position he currently holds.

Cooper is currently president of the Commissioned Deputies Association in Walla Walla County, which is the union that represents sheriff's deputies in labor negotiations with the county. He is also president of the Commissioned Deputy Sheriff's Association.

According to news reports, Cooper is currently on paid disability leave due to a knee injury. He said he was injured in a work-related incident in September 2012. Those reports also say that Cooper was put on light duty assignments until April 2013, when he asked to go on disability. That was about two weeks after he announced his candidacy for Sheriff.

Cooper's wife, Genny, has been manager of the Ace of Clubs Fitness Center in Walla Walla for nine years. "Health and fitness has always been a top priority in the Cooper's life, from the 1980's at the YMCA to present day at the Ace of Clubs," Cooper says on his web site.