Some of the more interesting developments at yesterday’s Klickitat County Commissioners meeting came during their sometimes lively public comment part of the agenda. That was true from the start, when a tall man wearing a cowboy hat came to the microphone.
“I just want to say that my name is John Bruce,” he said. “I’m a retired chief of police of three different agencies, and I am currently running for sheriff of Klickitat County.”
He said no more, but a bit of Internet research revealed John Bruce was chief of police of Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, with a population of 200,000 and a police force of 215 sworn officers. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a masters in public affairs, both from the University of Texas at Dallas. Bruce worked his way up through the ranks, and served as chief of the Frisco Police department from 2013 to 2019. He left to take a job as Chief of Police of Richland, Washington, a city of 64,000 with a police force of 65 sworn officers.
Bruce left Richland suddenly in January of 2022. According to an article in the Tri-City Herald, he was to be paid $58,000 to $81,000 as part of an agreement to resign after less than three years with the city. The agreement promised him five months salary, plus five months of health insurance coverage.
Meanwhile, there was another surprise for commissioners in the form of Robert Johnson of Wishram.
“Our in-town chicken farm has expanded to two places now,” he said. “Thirty-plus birds running around, tearing up yards – my yard – out in the road. Six roosters I counted this morning, it’s just crazy. The people who live at these houses have been talked to, in a very cordial way about the issue, and they’re basically responding hostile. And one of their things is, ‘You can’t make me stop it. There’s no law.'”
He asked commissioners to read the ordinance from Chelan County, which he consider the best version he’s found, and urged them to adopt something similar.
And lastly Ty Ross, wants to erect a 200 foot flagpole by the Klickitat County Courthouse, and top it with a 30 foot by 50 foot American flag. He urged commissioners to act quickly.
“I think we’ve done everything we were asked to do by Griff and Jeff, by you people, so we’d like to get a vote on it,” he said. “because I’ve got to get the money to the people or we won’t get it one by the Fourth of July. It’s just that simple.”
The board did not give an immediate vote but promised to do so in the near future.