19-Year Okanogan County Deputy Announces Bid For Sheriff
The second potential suitor to become the next sheriff of Okanogan County has announced their candidacy for the position.
Gisberth Gonzalez has been with the Okanogan County Sheriff's Office since 2007, when he was hired as a field deputy by former sheriff, Frank Rogers.
During his 19 years of service with the Sheriff's Office, Gonzalez has held many roles with the agency, including as a member of its Special Response Team and a field training officer. He is also currently a Lieutenant Colonel for the group Christian Chaplain Unity U.S.A., and serves as the national director for the organization as well.
Gonzalez has also worked at the Okanogan County Jail in several roles and is well known in the community for his leadership in coaching youth soccer for the River Valley Soccer Club.
Gonzalez was born and raised in Guatemala, where he joined the Guatemalan Army as a reserve soldier before immigrating to the United States with his family at the age of 19.
After Gonzalez attained his citizenship shortly after moving to the U.S., he settled in Wenatchee where he was a farmhand prior to working for the city's parks department.
In a campaign statement on social media, Gonzalez says he prides himself on his ability to problem solve on behalf of the people he serves and on bringing the region's various ethnic groups together to build a stronger community.
Gonzalez says that, if elected sheriff, he intends on reinstating the principles of leadership at the Sheriff's Office through what he calls a "servant leadership" style, and adds that he values ethics, integrity, morals, teamwork, and vigilance in maintaining the highest law enforcement standards for the people of Okanogan County.
Gonzalez is vying for the post along with fellow Okanogan County Sheriff's (Chief Criminal) Deputy Jodie Barcus.
Current sheriff, Paul Budrow, announced earlier this month that he is not running for the position so that he can take the job of Police Chief for the town of Twisp on April 6.
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