Three Republican candidates — all seasoned lawmen — will face off in the primary election for Island County Sheriff on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

The candidates are Mark Brown, William “De” Dennis and L. C. “Lenny” Marlborough. The winner will meet Jay Wallace, the sole Democratic candidate, for the top cop position in Island County.

Incumbent Sheriff Mike Hawley is not seeking re-election, and that left the field wide open for the three GOP contenders.

Hawley isn’t endorsing any candidate. And with Wallace recently facing charges from the state Attorney General’s Office for allegedly lying on a police report, many islanders think the sheriff’s race will be decided in the primary.

During a recent meeting of the Old Goats Club, a conservative and Libertarian discussion group that meets at Useless Bay Golf and Country Club, the three candidates answered questions from members of the club.

All three Republican candidates have backgrounds in law enforcement and are currently working for police agencies on the island. But their style and approach to managing law enforcement in the county differs dramatically.

Brown exudes a Boy Scout image; Dennis often displays his quick sense of humor during presentations, and Marlborough has a direct, easygoing style.

Although their solutions to various law enforcement issues and sheriff’s office management vary, they are in agreement about some of the problems in the county. All three men cite drugs, specifically meth, as a major issue that is the root cause of other crimes such as burglary and traffic offenses.

Each candidate believes they have the administrative skills necessary for managing the sheriff’s office $4.7 million law enforcement budget and a $1.6 million jail budget and 91 employees.

Brown, who some say has run the most professional campaign of the three, has a 32-year career with the Washington State Patrol. Brown said he believes the qualities that set him apart from the other candidates are his people skills.

Brown said he believes he has a leg up on working with other agencies because he has received the endorsements of sheriffs from neighboring counties, Skagit, Snohomish, Kittitas and Kitsap, as well as the Washington State Troopers Association.

“I believe I have the most endorsements from other law enforcement agencies, Brown said.

“I would use that to draw support from other law enforcement agencies to fight crime in Island County,” he said.

Dennis came into law enforcement late in life, after 30 years as an enlisted sailor in the Navy.

In fact, he told the group he may have been the oldest man to graduate from the Washington State Patrol Academy. Dennis frowns upon

micro-management and a punitive style of leadership; he hopes to instill a sense of “service to the community” in deputies.

Marlborough said he decided to run for the top cop position in the county because he believes he has honed his skill and leadership qualities as Coupeville’s town marshall.

When asked what he would bring to the office, Marlborough said he would work at developing trust in the community for the county’s deputies, and said he would look for alternative funding sources to solve the budget woes in the sheriff’s office.

“I would find alternative funding from grants and other sources, and would increase efficiencies in the department,” Marlborough said.

Marlborough has also promised to will conduct employee evaluations.

Dennis, however, points out that grants sometimes cost more than they provide because of the costs associated with administering the grants.

Sheriff Hawley, who was also present at the recent Old Goats meeting, told the candidates and the audience there are a number of challenges the new sheriff will face. Those include a shortage of deputies, and the rising cost of health care for both the deputies and the inmates in the county jail.

Hawley also said there is an increased demand on the sheriff’s office due to the aging population. The public’s expectations are sometimes not realistic, as well.

“County residents are more demanding of us,” Hawley said. “They have moved from urban areas and expect that kind of service, which is difficult with our limited number of deputies.”

Hawley said his office responded to 25,000 911 calls last year.

Other issues the new sheriff will face include the number of skyrocketing protection orders and public disclosure requests

“I believe in transparency, but we are getting harassed by criminals filing public disclosure requests for all of their records,” Hawley said.

Hawley explained this takes hours of valuable time to collect and appropriately screen the records before they are released.

“After you are elected sheriff, the stress doesn’t go away,” he added. “You are constantly pounding it into your deputies don’t screw up.”

Hawley said he has been sued 36 times as sheriff and never lost a case.

Hawley said all three men are qualified to be sheriff, adding, “If I had to vote today, I could not choose.”

Each candidate was asked what type of support they had in their home life.

Dennis and Brown both credited their wives for providing moral support.

“The old adage behind every successful man there is a woman is accurate about me,” Dennis said of his wife Cherry. “We still hold hands when we walk the dogs and she listens to me,” he said.

Brown said Sandy, his wife of 22 years, is “very important to me. She is an emergency dispatcher and understands the law enforcement world,” Brown said.

Marlborough, who is single, said he depends on his two daughters and grandsons for family life.

Each candidate touted his experience and training in law enforcement.

Brown has 32 year’s experience with the Washington State Patrol, mainly in military communities.

Marlborough has been town marshall of Coupeville for 10 years and worked for 14 years in the Oak Harbor Police Department.

Dennis manages a law enforcement staff of 20 as the chief deputy in charge of Island County’s correctional-detention facility, worked as a trooper in the Washington State Patrol and served for 20 years in the Navy.

Here’s a closer look at the candidates.

Mark Brown

With 32 years experience with the Washington State Patrol, Brown believes he has the well-rounded experience to step into Hawley’s job.

Brown, an Oak Harbor resident, joined the Washington State Patrol in 1974. Since then, Brown says he devoted himself to law enforcement as a state trooper and a commercial vehicle officer serving in Kitsap and Island Counties.

During his career as a state trooper, Brown served as a field officer providing training to new recruits and experienced troopers as well. He also traveled throughout the state as a member of a specially-trained squad of officers providing security to high profile leaders and dignitaries.

He is recognized by the Washington State Traffic Commission and by the patrol as an expert in providing lectures and seminars for high schoolers and community members.

Brown was a commissioned officer in the Navy and received his bachelor of science degree from the University of Oregon. He graduated second in his Washington State Patrol Academy class and was “trooper of the year” for the entire state in 1986. In 1995, he was selected trooper of the year for the Northwest region of the state for his efforts in Island County. Brown received commendations from the patrol for bravery in the apprehension of a felon while off duty and a second one for his work in traffic safety programs.

He is an instructor for the Court Services Institute, an organization providing sentencing alternatives and educational training to community members who have committed civil infractions, misdemeanors and felonies.

William “De” Dennis

Dennis is the chief deputy administrator of the Island County Jail says he has been preparing himself for the sheriff’s position for a decade. He is a veteran of law enforcement and is one of the sheriff’s three appointed chief deputies. As jail administrator, Dennis says he has the administrative and management skills to step in when Hawley leaves office next year.

Also as jail administrator, he has started classes for inmates on parenting, health, drug prevention education and HIV testing for both male and female inmates, and helped launch a weekly knitting class for the women inmates.

Dennis was also a reserve deputy, then an emergency dispatcher in Island County.

Dennis is running on a five-point platform: Promote neighborhood watch programs; move aggressively to stop illegal drug manufacturing and trafficking, protect the most vulnerable members of the community; stop identity theft and improve traffic safety.

Dennis, like the other three candidates, is outspoken about the need for tough enforcement of illegal drugs.

The other three components of his campaign include improving police response times and aid for seniors, children and the disabled in the community, and putting a stop to identity theft.

He is a graduate of Chapman University and a graduate of the FBI Regional Command College. Dennis graduated from the state Correction Officers Academy and from the State Trooper Patrol Academy and became trooper-in-charge, a collision investigator and a member of the Aggressive Driver Apprehension Team in Island and Skagit counties.

He is also volunteer firefighter and provides public education in methamphetamine abuse, identity theft and elder abuse.

L.C. “Lenny” Marlborough

Marlborough is best known outside of Coupeville for his work educating the community about the effects of methamphetamine as a member of the countywide Meth Action Team.

Marlborough said he believes integrity is the most important quality for the new sheriff to have.

A former Navy serviceman, Marlborough began his career in law enforcement as a volunteer officer in the Oak Harbor Police Department.

He was hired as a full-time officer in 1981, 45 days before separating from the military.

Marlborough said he developed his love of the island while he was stationed here in the Navy.

Marlborough has 24 years of experience in law enforcement, including 14 years with the Oak Harbor Police Department and 10 years as town marshal of Coupeville.

As a patrol officer, he was an emergency medical technician and SWAT team member. He researched and found funding for the K-9 program, which is still in operation. As the Coupeville marshal, he modernized the office, which is the smallest agency in the state to be accredited. The marshal’s office is currently undergoing the self-assessment phase in the state accreditation process.

He began the town’s first 24-hour, seven-days-a-week coverage; helped to pass a tax levy to fund more police and reduced the crime rate in Coupeville by 70 percent.

Marlborough says he will work to improve relations between the sheriff’s office and the community by improving public access.

Marlborough advocates more public meetings to discuss issues of concern in the various communities.

As co-chairman of the meth action team, Marlborough says he will also work to reduce methamphetamine production and sales, which will in turn reduce property crimes.

Marlborough also believes morale among deputies needs a boost by giving more control to the precinct lieutenants. The county has precincts on north and south Whidbey and one on Camano Island.

The sheriff is elected to a four-year term and earns $78,318 annually.