Nez Perce County welcomes new officials

There's a new sheriff in town, and a new county commissioner, commission chairman and some other juggling going on.

Joe Rodriguez, 45, still wearing his patrol deputy's uniform, was sworn in as sheriff Monday afternoon by Nez Perce County Clerk Patty O. Weeks in front of an audience of about 60.

His was the tightest race last November, winning with less than 1 percent separation between himself and his boss, the incumbent, Dale Buttrey.

At the end of the ceremonial swearing in of four newly elected officials, Rodriguez also administered the oath to his new chief deputy, Scot Gleason.

Gleason, 46, is a Lewiston resident who has been commuting to Moscow for 10 years, where he was a detective corporal with the Moscow Police Department. Prior to that, he was a Nez Perce County deputy from 1989 to 2001, and before that worked for the Lewiston Police Department for two years.

With Rodriguez and Gleason taking over, both Buttrey and his chief deputy, Alan Johnson, are no longer with the sheriff's office. Because Johnson left the Lewiston Police Department for the county job, he had no previous job to go back to and no job protection.

Rodriguez said he plans to start immediately with one-on-one meetings with staff, but has no plans for changes other than to fill the patrol position that was his until Monday, he said.

Rodriguez said he also expects that he, Gleason, or the lieutenant in the office will take walk-in reports so that someone won't have to be called in off the road. That will help keep fuel costs down. He also hopes to do some patrol work himself, but first will have to get the routine of administration worked out, he said.

Gleason said he's glad to be coming back to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley and the department, and will bring with him some technological expertise in computer and cellphone forensics and Internet crimes. He served on the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force while at Moscow.

Robert H. Tippett, 72, took his oath and his new seat on Chairman Douglas Zenner's left. Zenner rotated into the chairman's seat under a resolution approved more than a year ago by the last board of commissioners. The prior commission included Michael Grow, whom Tippett defeated in the May primary.

Tippett, the retired former executive director of economic development organization Valley Vision, formerly served four years as mayor and eight years as a city councilor in Yuma, Ariz. He said since his primary election victory eight months ago, he's spent a lot of time with incumbent commissioners, county staff and citizens, and is grateful for the support he's received.

Tippett will serve two years during his first term. Zenner was re-elected to a new four-year term in November. Commissioners are elected to alternating two- and four-year terms, meaning Tippett and Commissioner Douglas W. Havens will have to run again in two years to retain their seats.

Nez Perce County Prosecutor Daniel L. Spickler also took the oath of office Monday, for the fourth term in his position.

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Lee may be contacted at slee@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2266.