Warnke prevails in Merced sheriff’s race

With more than 84 percent of precincts reporting Tuesday night in the race for Merced County sheriff, retired Sgt. Vern Warnke held a strong lead over Merced District Attorney Investigations Chief Pat Lunney.

Just before 10 p.m., Warnke led with nearly 58 percent of the vote to Lunney’s nearly 42 percent.

Lunney, who conceded the race around 10:20 p.m, praised Warnke and his campaign.

“Vern is a respectable, first-class man,” Lunney said. “I’ll do everything possible to support him and work with him as the new sheriff.”

Warnke, 56, also spoke highly of Lunney, 67, calling him a “gentleman and a quality individual.”

“The citizens of Merced County deserved a choice between two men with integrity and vision,” Warnke said. “I’m excited and humbled for the opportunity and it’s full steam ahead and time to start getting the projects done that Merced County needs.”

Both men early in the race signed a pledge to run clean campaigns and both men said Tuesday their opponent held up his end of the bargain.

The veteran senior sergeant spent his entire career in the Merced County Sheriff’s Department, from 1979 to his partial retirement in 2008.

Neither candidate ever previously held an elected position; each described himself as an “outsider” who would implement needed changes to the Sheriff’s Department.

Warnke supporters believed Lunney was part of the county bureaucratic institution, pointing to his close relationship with Merced County District Attorney Larry Morse II and endorsements from the police chiefs as evidence. Lunney supporters said the fact that Warnke spent his entire career at the Sheriff’s Department and his endorsement from the deputies’ union were proof that Warnke was the real political insider.

Warnke said his more than three decades in the department made him the best candidate while Lunney said his experience in top law enforcement jobs would enable him to more effectively command the Sheriff’s Department.

Warnke early in the race received the endorsement of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Many of its members were the first to encourage Warnke to get into the race.

In addition to the key endorsement from deputies, Warnke also outspent Lunney by a significant margin. Warnke raised $162,598 and spent $111,673 since the campaign began. Lunney raised $78,887 and spent $66,548, according to records.

Warnke created controversy during the campaign when he said would like to bring to Merced County the “tent city” model of jail housing made famous by Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whom Warnke called a “personal hero.”

Warnke later clarified his tent city comments, saying he promised to “explore” the idea, but said he would easily move on to other ideas to reduce repeat offenders if the proposal proved unworkable in Merced County. State authorities later confirmed that California inmates cannot legally be housed in tents. Warnke said he still liked the idea of a tent city but would follow the law.

Warnke touched off another debate when he said he would hire Suzzette Norris as his undersheriff. Norris, a well-respected former investigator with the Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney’s Office, retired as a senior sergeant and never held a command-level position in law enforcement, a minimum requirement for the position. Those comments drew additional scrutiny, as naming Norris without a standard open selection process may expose the county to potential unfair hiring practice lawsuits from other applicants should she actually become the undersheriff.

Warnke ultimately overcame those controversies and emerged victorious. He emerged with early leads at the beginning of the night and steadily increased his margin of victory.

Warnke said the victory meant even more because he believed the campaign was based on issues instead of mudslinging or political maneuvering. He thanked his supporters and he thanked Lunney for running a good, clean campaign.

This story was originally published November 4, 2014 at 10:51 PM with the headline "Warnke prevails in Merced sheriff’s race."