Skagit candidate Timothy Garrison runs on 50 years of tax experience after fraud prison term

The Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Marshals Service found that Timothy Garrison prepared more than 50 tax returns with false or fraudulent information. The scheme resulted in a tax loss of more than $2.5 million. Garrison is now running for Skagit County treasurer.

Garrison served a federal prison sentence from 2012 to 2015 for these charges. He pleaded guilty to tax fraud, and the U.S. attorney dropped a separate gun possession charge. The office also ordered him to remove six liens he placed on the properties of local public servants. He now campaigns on 50 years of experience as a tax accountant and degrees in business administration and finance.

Garrison qualified for the Nov. 3 general election as a write-in candidate during the August primary. State law allows a person to vote and run for office once their felony sentence is completed. He joined three other write-in candidates: Derrill Fussell for coroner, Cody Hart for sheriff, and Amanda Toscano for county clerk. The Skagit County Republican Party did not endorse any of the four. The party backed independent Chris Baldwin for sheriff.

GOP chair Bill Bruch said the party found it difficult to find good candidates. He noted that if candidates are not qualified, it is not in anyone's best interest to support them. Bruch described incumbent Democrat Jackie Brunson as very experienced and well respected. He added that Garrison never passed the party's vetting process. Brunson previously worked in the sheriff's office before becoming treasurer.

Garrison has ties to the sovereign citizen movement. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that he was treasurer of the Assemblies of the Counties in Western Washington in 2009. He also served on a jury in 2011 that found Schaeffer Cox not guilty of plotting to kidnap state troopers. A state court later dismissed the charges because FBI recordings were made without a warrant. Cox was convicted of similar charges in 2012.

Garrison declined to discuss his past during an Oct. 20 phone call. He told Salish Current, "I don't want to talk about it," before hanging up. He did not respond to multiple follow-ups. He skipped a candidate forum hosted by Fidalgo Democrats and an endorsement interview hosted by the Skagit County Republican Party. He did participate in a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters on Oct. 5.

Moderator Kris Lytton said the League of Women Voters forums are fairly benign and questions must be relevant to both candidates. Garrison told the audience, "I appreciate the opportunity for letting me be here. You've been quite a kind audience." Brunson said the office requires responsible stewardship, transparency, and accountability. She noted her team implemented digitized records and a new cashiering system that saved tens of thousands of dollars in banking fees.

Brunson said she does not have a lot of respect for Garrison because of how he presents himself. She stated, "What he doesn't say is that when he was doing tax accounting, he was filing fraudulent tax returns on behalf of his clients." Garrison said he would not allow improper or unlawful transactions under his watch. He aims to apply his experience to help the county make things come out even.