top of page
WHY A NEW SHERIFF?
"Why should you vote for a New Sheriff anyways?
It's a vote for change, and it's a vote for Fayette County."
MY REASONING
I am not afraid to say that I lean on the criticism, noting that my lack of law enforcement experience, is an asset. I intend to bring new ideas to our sheriff’s office and improve the moral of the deputies through important, strategic, helpful and useful changes. Without the name recognition and political resources of the current Fayette County Sheriff, I hope this website will inform those that are looking for a campaign with a different effect. The duties of this elected office are largely administrative, and are centered around managing budgets and making human resource decisions. Previous politicians have asked citizens to ‘put their country over party.’ I am no politician, but I hope Lexingtonians will put their county over their party, first-and-foremost, and show up to vote in order to push Fayette County in the right direction. While the office of sheriff is defined in law very similarly to a city law enforcement agency; I believe this sheriff office should be a conservator of the peace first. De-escalating violence is tricky in the 21st-century, and my proposal is to improve training while assessing deputies’ mental welfare. I will always support policy in which provides veterans getting preference for job opportunities, but I suggest that they are evaluated for PTSD, and if found to be struggling, proper, adequate and appropriate training and evaluation is carried out.
I feel an obligation to help create a positive change for our community and I pledge to be a fair sheriff working for the people of this county. My door will always be open for citizens to express their concerns. I also look forward to forming a positive working relationship with the Lexington Police Department. Residents of Fayette County deserve a top-notch sheriff’s department that is well-trained; and under my administration, I will strive to achieve this by training both locally and at numerous others sites- as funding allows. If elected Sheriff, I will manage a very proactive and professional law enforcement organization.
When was the last time you saw our current sheriff make an appearance at a parade, sporting event, or public display? Many in Lexington are unaware of who the sheriff is and if they are aware of her name; even fewer are aware of the general duties of sheriff. Under my leadership, we will promote the community’s needs, and the office will be dedicated to ensuring timely responses to citizen complaints by utilizing appropriate resources. I intend to find more productive ways to work with our local law enforcement agencies. Surprising to some residents, the sheriff’s office should not be a stand-alone entity. In order to be most-effective, the sheriff must be willing to work with local police as well as other county and state agencies, constables, UK/Transy/BCTC police, Fayette County Public School officers, Kentucky State Police and various federal agencies. Crime prevention and intervention is a priority, but so is being readily available if called to support the Lexington Police Departments or the Kentucky State Police when needed. I welcome their help, as I believe it’s always better to have multiple avenues of resources.
Sheriffs are one of the rare officials in the criminal legal system who are elected. Mayors and city governments typically appoint police chiefs, and governors usually choose who will lead state police and departments of corrections. But even though sheriffs are democratically elected, incumbents rarely face challengers. You may not have realized it, but our current Fayette County Sheriff has been on the voter ballots since 1996. From a time when the average cost of a new house was $129,300 and the search engine Google was first being incorporated as a private company.
In theory, sheriffs should be highly accountable, since they have to answer directly to voters. But in practice, while a Police Chief may be lucky to serve five years, it’s not unusual for a Sheriff to be around for 20 or more. There’s often meager interest in challenging a sheriff politically. And sadly, with most counties dominated politically by one party or the other, sheriffs benefit from the limited attention voters pay to the post.
In some places, county sheriff office has taken a back seat to the fast-growing, municipal, law enforcement agencies. In other communities, the sheriff is one of the most powerful and popular positions in local government. The duties of sheriffs vary tremendously by state. In the Northeast, they may do nothing more than provide security in the courthouse. But in other states, they’re responsible for highway patrols, and in many, they handle general policing and corrections. The job can be incredibly complex, involving the oversight of law enforcement across multiple jurisdictions; managing jails, which often makes them the largest provider of mental health services in the county; performing evictions; sometimes running the coroner’s office; and, if they’re near water or mountains, running search and rescue functions. In my opinion, Lexington has a wonderful balance between the metro police department and the sheriff’s office; and I intend to keep that professional partnership operating as it benefits citizens, the city, and the two, different departments.
I’m not particularly interested in belonging to a long list of associations. I’m a hard worker. I’m interested in putting on a uniform and going to work. To make the office an efficient place to work, while developing it into a well-oiled machine, I will do the best I can with what I have to work with. It comes back to a business approach: you have to take care of your people. With business experience, and a desire for change, I feel that I bring many tools necessary to manage the daily challenges of law enforcement administration in Fayette County. My goal is simple: I want to ensure that the members of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office are equipped, trained, and dedicated to protecting the residents across the entire county. To accomplish this change, it’ll first require a vote into office. In the end: voters have a choice. They can make the final decision. Do you like the person with all the training or do you like the person with this background behind them? Practical thinking falls back to the constitution -which gives citizens a choice. I ask you to think rationally and logically, and consider your options when it comes time to walk into your local polling booth. I courteously ask for your vote, for Fayette County Sheriff, in the upcoming election in May.
bottom of page