Kitsap County Sheriff John Gese’s decision to exit by the end of June is reportedly due to ongoing county funding struggles, a spokesperson told the Kitsap Sun.
The Kitsap County Board of Commissioners said in a statement June 8 that Gese, an elected sheriff who had planned to retire after his term ends in December, will instead leave on June 26 and will be joined by four other leaders in the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office. Undersheriff Russ Clithero, Chief of Detectives and Support Services Lisa Gundrum, Chief of Patrol Chad Birkenfeld and Finance Manager Wendy Dutenhoeffer will also depart five months ahead of the November vote that will elect a new sheriff.
Gese has yet to make a public statement about his decision to retire since letting the commissioners know on Monday, but KCSO spokesman Kevin McCarty on Tuesday told the Kitsap Sun it was largely due to upcoming decisions and conversations surrounding the county budget, coupled with the fact that a new elected sheriff will take over in 2027. Commissioners implemented a 3% cut across all departments in the current year’s budget to minimize the gap between the county’s expenses and generated revenue. During deliberations leading up to the decision, Gese and several KCSO staff pushed back against the directive to save about $1.7 million from the 2026 budget with concerns that cuts could worsen staffing issues…