Sheriff race expands

[wrobert]

The Majority? (No example to give, I hope you were being sarcastic) Why go with the flow? Why not try to have an educated voter base so that our County's Law Enforcement does not end up in the toilet for the next four years? Bring your plunger.

I am open to suggestions as to how you transfer voter education into actually winning an election. Winning elections has absolutely nothing to do with voter education from my experience. As SJ says, it is all politricks.

 

[wrobert]

Ricky was a sheriff in Fort Walton for years I think- great reputation there.

I understand that Ricky has gotten a letter stating that he may be in violation of the Hatch Act and must now resign to run for office.

 

[rapunzel]

Is the sheriff's race a partisan election? I thought most county elections were non-partisan.

 

[wrobert]

Is the sheriff's race a partisan election? I thought most county elections were non-partisan.

The only non-partisan races in Walton County are the judges and the school board at the couty level. The city races depending on their charters, and some of the special districts, again depending on their charter.

 

[rapunzel]

The only non-partisan races in Walton County are the judges and the school board at the couty level. The city races depending on their charters, and some of the special districts, again depending on their charter.

So no one working for the Sheriff's office, and no one working in local government in any capacity, can run for sheriff? :shock:

How can we expect to have an experienced candidate if the Hatch Act applies? How much of the sheriff's budget comes from the federal government? The Hatch Act predates Homeland Security, so it seems this is an unintended consequence. Perhaps the sheriff's race should be non-partisan, for the same reason the school board is non-partisan -- so those who are most knowledgeable are not disqualified as a matter of course.

 

[Garner]

If the employee / deputy of the Sheriff's office is in violation of the Hatch Act, wouldn't the Sheriff be as well? Oh wait, he hasn't filed to run yet.

 

[wrobert]

So no one working for the Sheriff's office, and no one working in local government in any capacity, can run for sheriff? :shock:

How can we expect to have an experienced candidate if the Hatch Act applies? How much of the sheriff's budget comes from the federal government? The Hatch Act predates Homeland Security, so it seems this is an unintended consequence. Perhaps the sheriff's race should be non-partisan, for the same reason the school board is non-partisan -- so those who are most knowledgeable are not disqualified as a matter of course.

It certainly limits the participants now that it has been brought up. I am not seeing this as a good thing for the electorate. School board races were made non-partisan by constitutional amendment, if I am remembering correctly. To make local races non-partisan would require either doing something state-wide so that it would apply to each county, or going to a charter form of government in Walton County. But none of the solutions are going to be able to be implemented by the next election. Charter government is not something that is easily passed in any county. Escambia county has tried it three times that I can remember over the last two decades without success.

 

[wrobert]

If the employee / deputy of the Sheriff's office is in violation of the Hatch Act, wouldn't the Sheriff be as well? Oh wait, he hasn't filed to run yet.

From what I have read, elected offiicials are exempt because the act of holding office puts them in violation. This 1939 federal law seems to have been written to protect congress from people running against them. In 1939 federal funding was not nearly as far reaching as it is today. I doubt that anyone back then could have imagined what we would have the federal government pay for today.

 

[Garner]

wow! I don't know much about the Hatch Act, but it looks like it could effectively preclude most any non-incumbent from running for office. I don't see that as democracy in action.

 

[wrobert]

wow! I don't know much about the Hatch Act, but it looks like it could effectively preclude most any non-incumbent from running for office. I don't see that as democracy in action.

Only non-incumbents that deal with federal dollars.