Political Position

A little over a week ago, I had an interesting question posed to me via Facebook. In the interest of brevity, the main question was as follows: “Is there a reason why you list yourself as a Conservative Republican when running for The Office of Sheriff?  The reason why I ask this is because I don't believe it's the place of a Conservative-Republican, Democrat-Liberal or whatever to be Sheriff in this country. I personally believe a sheriffs character should be solely independent of political parties & should be based on what the law states a sheriff should pursue, not political parties. That should be a concern of anyone that votes.  My question expands on to ask: Does that mean that if one is a Republican that you will turn your head the other way and pursue Democrats who fall short? I Just thought I would throw that out there. I hope that is not the case. I would hope, as with every person that would come through your county they are treated not as a Democrat or Republican but rather as a human”.

As a result of the question, I thought maybe I should explain why I have identified myself with a particular political party and how I came to be conclusion that I reached.

In Oklahoma, the office of Sheriff is a constitutionally created office and is a partisan position. Currently the only non-partisan (does not require a political affiliation) positions that I am aware of are: Judges, school board members and city council/mayor positions. In the last legislative session there was an attempt (Senate Bill 327) to make the election of Sheriff non-partisan but it was unsuccessful. Therefore, as a candidate for Sheriff, I must announce a partisan position for the office.

In the 2008 election cycle, there were approximately 20,200 Democrats, 31,744 Republicans, 6,009 Independents with a total of 57,983 registered voters in the county.  In the election for Sheriff, the incumbent won by receiving 4,436 votes (61%) while the prior incumbent lost, receiving 2,790 votes (39%). That particular election was decided in the primary where approximately a third of the county’s population was eligible to vote with only approximately 23% of the Republicans exercising their right to vote. I also find it interesting that in the last election, approximately ten percent of the total county population actually voiced their opinions at the polls.

I sincerely expect based on historical elections in this county as well as the strength of the party in the county, our next Sheriff will also be decided in the primary election phase of the election cycle. So why I am running as a Republican candidate for the office?   

Initially, when I was old enough to register to vote, I immediately registered as a Democrat because in Custer County all the elected county offices were of the same party. I was told at the time, if I wished to have a vote in local elections then I would have to be a Democrat. At the time of my registration, President Ronald Reagan was in his second term in office and before his term was complete, I had changed my registration to Republican. An interesting side note here is, in Canadian County it is exactly the opposite with the county offices being held by Republicans.

I found as I researched the national party platforms, I supported more of the Republican values than the other party. I particularly liked President Reagan who portrayed strength, leadership, confidence and the ability to energize the population in order to provide our country with direction. Therefore, I became and remain a Reagan Republican believing that our national government often creates more problems than it solves especially in the terms of over regulation, over taxation and unnecessary government spending. President Reagan went against the main stream thought on many issues and employed common sense solutions which led us to increased prosperity and improved national pride among his other accomplishments.    

During President Reagan’s second term, he took a stronger approach on the War on Drugs. He said that “drugs were menacing our society” and promised to fight for drug-free schools and workplaces, expanded drug treatment, stronger law enforcement and drug interdiction efforts, and greater public awareness including his support of Red Ribbon week, which was started in his second term. Throughout my law enforcement career, I have seen the results of his increased war on drugs and have been a participant in those efforts that he spearheaded.  I have also seen the devastation and damage that illegal drugs create and know that as a society we must do something to address the menacing effects that illegal drugs have on our communities.  

In regards to conservatism, this too is rooted in Reagan Republican philosophies. According to a June 2010 Pew poll, 9% of Americans identify themselves as “very conservative”, 30% as “conservative”, 36% as “moderate”, 16%  as “liberal” and 6% as “very liberal”.  These percentages have been fairly constant since 1990. Although I believe this label is often overused and misunderstood, I also know there are also a number of variations to this title as well.

President Reagan said the basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom.  “Freedom is not created by Government, nor is it a gift from those in political power.  It is, in fact, secured, more than anything else, by limitations placed on those in Government”.  I believe those of us that are students of the law are very vigilant about the protections afforded through the Constitution and we strive to ensure respect and adherence to those rights which are afforded every citizen. 

President Reagan solidified conservative values with tax cuts, deregulation, a policy of rolling back Communism (rather than just containing it), a greatly strengthened military, and appeals to family values. Other conservative issues are related to support for prayer in the public schools, support for the right to bear arms, securing the U.S. borders, and strict enforcement of the law. I agree with these principles and respect the rights of others related to these issues.

Having discussed my personal philosophies, I also agree that politics should not be a factor when delivering law enforcement services and discharging the duties of the office. I intend to treat each person equally with dignity as I have done throughout my life and do not plan to change once I am elected to office. I also do not support the use of “smoke and mirrors” in reporting information to the public in an effort to embellish, sway or manipulate public opinion.  As President Reagan demonstrated during his administration, provide the public with the honest facts and if it is an unfavorable event seek their help and/or understanding but above all else, tell the truth!!!!   

The personal philosophies, I do intend to apply to discharging my duties is common sense, leadership as well as strong fiscal responsibility and discipline. During the period the incumbent has been in office, I personally believe the incumbent has not spent money in a disciplined or at the least a strategic manner. These are tax dollars entrusted to our elected officials and I do not believe in wasteful spending. I also believe with issues confronting us especially related to our continued growth, we need to build alliances and work together in a respectful manner to address the problems. These alliances will also include the availability of social media, so we can communicate more directly and quickly to the public in order to educate and inform the citizens of the county.  By utilizing the knowledge and skills of a street cop not a politician, we can see improvements in the areas that must be addressed and rest assured, I know what is broken and what needs to be fixed.