When I read the letters to the editors in the Aegis today I noticed a theme. No not the usual Golding bashing, although that was present and deservedly so. I noticed the letter on an elected school board by Judy Kinshaw-Ellis (a democrat) and an appointed chief of police by Brinton Cooper (there is no Brinton Cooper in the voter database; there is a Ryan B. Cooper (D) and a Robert B. Cooper(R)). If I had to guess Ryan B. was the author, then again Brinton Cooper might not be registered to vote which might explain why he is opposed to an elected sheriff.
What we have at the root of both of these issues is the difference between liberals and conservatives. Liberals believe that less choice is better (unless you’re pregnant and can’t be bothered). Mark Wolkow, another democrat, argues that an elected school board is not a good idea because of the possibility of corruption. He is probably a liberal and does not believe that the people should have a voice or choice in matters involving the education of their children. Let the government handle it and you just sit back and let us indoctrinate you children with political correctness, sexual orientation education, and whatever else the lefties in education are promoting these days. The real reason that Wolkow is against an elected school board is in the fact that he is a democrat and would not be elected. Judy Kinshaw-Ellis took him to task and I thank her for her letter (even though she is a democrat). For true conservatives, an elected school board is a good thing because it places power in the hands of the citizens.
In 1994 we were asked whether we should create a police department and with that would come a police chief who would be accountable to the county executive. The charter amendment failed 53% to 47%. So it was close. It seems that with the chaos created by Joe Meadows and now Tom Golding that the “Question A†people are once again rallying their forces. This issue comes down to choice and where do you want that power of choice to rest. Do you want the power to hire and fire the sheriff or do you want to give up your voice and delegate it to the County Executive? I strongly believe that we, as voting citizens of Harford County, deserve to keep the power to decide who runs our sheriff’s office. The liberal’s philosophy would have us give that power away. It is never a good thing for citizens to give political power away.
6 responses so far ↓
1 PolJunk // Jul 12, 2006 at 7:44 pm
I haven’t read the paper just yet…I probably shouldn’t comment until I do, but…in general…
Has there been any correlation to the success of a school system to whether the board was appointed vs. elected? I think there are clear advantages to each. I don’t know much about how school boards work, myself.
School Board elections are supposed to be non-partisan. An elected official serves a term where the voters can decide if they’ve done a good job. However, I would hasten to guess that most voters wouldn’t know one candidate from the other. It may come down to campaigning and fund raising for the position. Should a person’s ability to raise campaign funds, put up yard signs, and slap bumper stickers on cars determine if that person should serve on the Board?
An appointed official typically serves a term and can be re-appointed for a successive term, usually by an elected official. Again, the position should be non-partisan. Granted the school board official could be a political cronie of some sort to the elected official. However, even though the appointment is at the discretion of the elected official, you would think that public scrutiny of the appointment would be high.
Personally, I think the qualification level of the appointment stands a greater chance of being higher…but that’s just me trying to rationalize.
I’v e said my piece about the Sheriff’s Dept. in another thread with a very good response by Mr. Tritt, so I’ll keep this brief. Every county in the State elects a Sheriff. There’s no reason to do things otherwise. The question becomes how does the department handle the politics associated with an elected boss? I think the Department has a duty to control politics both on-duty and off. No one would have a problem with indirect support of a candidate. Direct, public support by employees has lead to the issues I previously mentioned and have occurred recently in the Office.
There are 3 groups of people that I have to trust with my life (1) Family and Friends, (2) Doctors and medical caregivers, and (3) Law enforcement and Firefighters. I can’t afford to even think that trust is breached in any of those three. Unfortunately, while I am fairly confident in the deputies that serve in the department as professionals; I am and have been very leary of the leadership.
2 hmmmm // Jul 13, 2006 at 10:51 pm
While every county elects a sheriff, very few counties as large as Harford have a Sheriff that actually runs the police department. Sheriff’s in Baltimore County, City, Howard, Prince George’s, Anne Arundel and Montgomery run warrants and serve subpeonas. In each of those places there is a chief of police that is appointed by the county exec and confirmed by the councils, and that chief of police is actually in charge of the police department and law enforcement.
3 COUNTY EMPLOYEE // Jul 18, 2006 at 5:21 pm
It does not matter whether the Sheriff is an elected position or an appointed one – politics will still play a big part of how the department is run. The County Executive would most certainly appoint an individual who is of their political affiliation.
The problem lies in the fact that there are those individuals who are in powerful positions that feel as if they can abuse their power by doing whatever they like – no matter the consequences. Unfortunately, if one is not in their good graces, then there will be hell to pay……..
4 ConcernedCop // Jul 22, 2006 at 11:04 am
I am a retired cop from a county that has a county police department. I have been saying for a while that we need to move away from an elected system of Sheriff and create a PD that reports to the county executive.
On the same lines, we need a paid fire department. Our county is too big for a volunteer fire department to handle. What if we had all volunteer hospitals, all volunteer cops, and all teachers. Get my point????
5 Dave Tritt // Jul 23, 2006 at 1:20 am
Concerned Cop, hmmm, & PolJunk,
Sorry about this long post, but I feel pretty strongly about this issue. You can also view this on the issues section of my website, http://www.trittforsheriff.com .
Today, many counties and cities have moved away from having an elected sheriff as the chief law enforcement officer, instead choosing to have this individual appointed by the county executive or mayor. I believe this is a mistake for the following reasons:
1.) Accountability
The sheriff answers directly to the voters through election. He must give an account for his performance and behavior every four years. If the citizens are not pleased with his performance, or if they think someone else can do better, they have a remedy.
As an entity not under the control of the executive or legislative branches, the elected office of sheriff provides an additional check and balance to the other branches. Those branches hold the sheriff in check by controlling the money and making the laws.
2.) Fiscal Responsibility
In Harford County, the Sheriff’s Office has been in
existence for over 230 years. To change this setup would require spending millions of taxpayer dollars to create a new bureaucracy, hire new workers, build new facilities, and purchase new vehicles and equipment. Further, it would create turf battles as different divisions struggle to keep what they have worked for over many years. The time, money, and effort would be better spent on hiring new deputies, improving pay, and investing in training and equipment that will make daily operations safer, more efficient, and more effective.
3.) Provides a remedy to the “Old Boy†network
Because the office of sheriff is elected, ordinary citizens can stop the nepotism, double standards, inconsistency and favoritism found so often in bureaucracies. If there is corruption, mismanagement, or misconduct in the office, concerned citizens can vote for someone else. In Maryland, the elected sheriff need not have a law enforcement background. This benefits the voters as they will have more choices of candidates to represent them with varied backgrounds and experiences, increasing the chances that their voices will be heard. Law enforcement wields a great deal of power and there are many opportunities for abuses of that power. The sheriff, as the people’s representative in law enforcement, should be a guardian of individual liberty. If the sheriff fails to protect individuals and their property from unwarranted government intrusion or harassment, the voters can fire him. If the sheriff chooses not to enforce an unconstitutional or harassing mandate of an executive, the executive cannot remove him.
4.) “The buck stops here!â€
Many agencies that are controlled by mayors and councils are in constant conflict because those officials can each bring their own agenda to the operation of the agency. An entire council and the executive each trying to run the agency can wreak havoc on the chain of command. This often creates a chief of police who is nothing more than a figurehead. Having a single individual, the elected sheriff, who will be accountable to the people and take responsibility for the operations of the agency, is far more preferable in my opinion.
5.) Disaster readiness
One advantage the sheriff has is the ability to deputize individuals in times of emergency. If there is a riot, natural disaster, or terrorist attack which causes a shortage in manpower, the sheriff can temporarily deputize people to assist. This is an extremely valuable tool during these types of situations.
Although I believe there are serious problems with the current administration, the solution is not for citizens to give up their voice in law enforcement matters. Rather, the opposite is true. Citizens need to pay closer attention to the behavior of their sheriff and hold him accountable for what he is and isn’t doing in the community and in the agency. Our entire government derives its power from the consent of the governed, and law enforcement is no exception.
If entrusted with this position, I WILL be accountable to the people of Harford County. I will promote, protect, honor and defend the great name of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. The citizens of this county and the hard working men and women of this agency deserve nothing less.
VOTE DAVE TRITT FOR SHERIFF – LEADERSHIP WITH ACCOUNTABILITY
6 mythoughts // Jul 24, 2006 at 1:58 am
Perhaps we need a shorter term of office for the Sheriff. Make them elected every 2 years so that they are more responsive to the needs of the people.
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