Skagit County Treasurer Race: Runoff Looms as Candidate Faces Federal Fraud Past

Timothy Garrison, the Republican write-in candidate for Skagit County treasurer, is entering the November 3 general election with a federal tax fraud conviction from 2012 to 2015 still on his record. He plans to pair his 50 years of tax accounting experience with a promise to prevent improper transactions, but he has largely avoided discussing his prison sentence in public forums.

Garrison first gained ballot access during the August primary as a write-in candidate. His path to the general election has been marked by absences; he skipped the candidate forum hosted by Fidalgo Democrats and the endorsement interview for the Skagit County Republican Party. While he attended the League of Women Voters forum on October 5, the local GOP did not endorse him, citing questions about his qualifications.

The candidate’s legal history stretches back further than his recent incarceration. In 1984, he was convicted of mail fraud. The Internal Revenue Service later stripped him of his enrolled agent license. Court documents reviewed by the Southern Poverty Law Center indicate he prepared 200 to 400 tax returns annually for his business, the 89th Street Management Co., starting in 1988. An IRS investigation found that more than 50 of those returns contained false information, resulting in a tax loss of over $2.5 million.

In 2011, Garrison was arrested for possessing firearms despite being a convicted felon. He also placed liens on the homes of Skagit County law enforcement officers. He pleaded guilty to tax fraud in 2012, and the gun charge was dropped as part of the deal. He was ordered to remove six liens from public servants' properties.

Garrison is one of four candidates who qualified for the ballot via the write-in route this year. The others include Derrill Fussell for coroner, Cody Hart for sheriff, and Amanda Toscano for county clerk. All four sought recalls or filed lawsuits against county officials earlier in 2026. The Skagit County GOP endorsed independent Chris Baldwin for sheriff but left the treasurer race open.

Incumbent Democrat Jackie Brunson argues that Garrison’s history is directly relevant to the treasurer's role in safeguarding public funds. She noted that he emphasizes his business ownership and accounting years without mentioning the fraudulent returns he filed for clients. "I don't have a lot of respect just because of the way he's presented himself in the campaign," Brunson said.

Garrison declined to answer whether the man running in 2026 differs from the man convicted in 2012. He told the Salish Current on October 20 that he did not want to talk about his past and hung up the phone. He has not responded to follow-up inquiries. The next step for voters is the November 3 general election, where they will choose between Garrison and Brunson.