In this Sept. 5, 2013 file photo, Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield talks with Sgt. Rob Snaza during an United Way Luncheon at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound. Sheriff Mansfield has endorsed Snaza in his 2014 campaign for sheriff. Mansfield announced earlier this month that he will retire at the end of his term and will not seek re-election.
Sgt. Rob Snaza talks on his phone on Mayfield Lake. Snaza and Det. Dan Riordan, right, were on boat patrol in this photograph taken in July 2013.
Rob Snaza, with the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, carries out jugs containing suspected marijuana products from Hub City Natural Medicine in downtown Centralia in April 2011.
Lewis County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Rob Snaza, left, and his identical twin brother, John Snaza, the current Thurston County Sheriff, hold one of John's old campaign signs as they pose for a portrait in Rob's backyard near Napavine in July 2013. The sign, which was hanging on Rob's garage wall, was modified with duct tape to resemble what Rob's signs will look like in the near future.
Lewis County Sheriff Steve Mansfield has endorsed Sgt. Rob Snaza in his 2014 campaign for sheriff.
“I will be endorsing and supporting him for sheriff,” Mansfield told The Chronicle Thursday. “He’s worked very hard to put himself in this position. I think he is ready.”
Mansfield announced earlier this month that he will retire at the end of his term and will not seek re-election.
“He has an immense desire to really do the right thing and make a positive difference in this community,” Mansfield said. “He’s the kind of guy who promotes trust and is responsible, respectful and is very fair.”
Mansfield said Snaza is one of the most hard-working deputies he has seen during his time working for Lewis County.
Mansfield said he has started sharing the administrative process with Snaza and has already spent time helping prepare Snaza for the position, should he win in November.
“He will be able to hit the ground running,” Mansfield said.
Though Snaza announced nearly a year ago that he intended to run for sheriff, and is currently without a contender to run against him, Snaza said he wants to keep his campaign momentum even if it turns out to be an uncontested election.
“If there is someone who is more committed, dedicated and passionate than me, then that’s the guy I want to work for,” Snaza said.
There will be a campaign kick off fundraising breakfast for Snaza’s campaign on at 7 a.m. Wednesday at the Veterans Memorial Museum in Chehalis.
Snaza, who has worked for the sheriff’s office since 1995, is the sergeant in command of the Lewis County Regional Drug Task Force.
Snaza’s twin brother, John Snaza, will be running for re-election as sheriff this year in the neighboring Thurston County.
For more information about Snaza’s campaign, visit his official Facebook page “Rob Snaza for Sheriff” or visit his website at www.robsnazaforsheriff.com.
