I was given an old quote a few weeks back in regards to a conversation centered on the Brown County Sheriff’s election. “In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.” I have no doubt this saying is useful when it comes to elections, but I had to stop and ponder on this saying for what is comparatively a small election when looking at the state and national races. But, when choosing a sheriff grounded in that quote, what are we saying we deserve when we cast our ballots and choose a leader to guide the peace officers that protect this county?
Quite frankly, I’ve seen a few disappointing things during this current race that I did not expect. I’ve seen ethics violations, open records violations, and misrepresentation. As a former employee of the Brown County Sheriff’s Office who truly loved my time spent there, it saddens me to see that this is actually coming from the current administration rather than his opponent, Brock Johnson. I expected a certain amount of strength and integrity to come from Bobby Grubbs and his administration since that is what they drive so hard into their staff. Sheriff Grubbs made a major ethics error out at the May Open Candidate Forum when he made sure that questions that opposed him would not be asked and then insured that no one would see those questions by taking them from the moderator and putting them in his pocket – and, yes there are plenty of upstanding citizens that were witness to this and will attest to this.
Sheriff Grubbs has made it clear that he will not release those questions that were to be asked and it has left a sour taste in the mouths of many citizens who wanted answers to their questions. Violations pertaining to open records requests have occurred according to the Attorney General’s office with the Sheriff’s Department still continuing to refuse the release of the proper information as requested by his opponent, even after the violation notification by the A.G. Firsthand witnesses, who are rather prominent in this community, have stated that they have been told by Sheriff Grubbs or by Chief Deputy Duvall that former employees were having affairs when this was untrue, and sought the revocation of the former employees’ peace officer’s license. All of this in an effort to dismantle future attacks by destroying these former employees’ reputations and their honorable word, when in fact, the administration has been doing their best to cover up the distorted decisions that they have made concerning the termination of certain employees for suspected affairs. However, they retained one employee who was by self-admission having multiple affairs. He was retained within the top administration and yet was placed under disciplinary action for putting the county at risk for civil liability and improper conduct with a subordinate. Or, what about those who were highly regarded in their authority, integrity, and moral character but were driven to quit under continuous harassment; who were then marked by the false rumors of affairs, at the expense of the morale of the department? While all this has gone on, the attack that they have thrown at the competitor is his release of the “Uniform Crime Reporting” numbers as though they themselves put little to no emphasis on those numbers whatsoever. In reality these numbers have been used in budget hearings with the county commissioners and it was used in the previous election to show how good of a job Sheriff Grubbs and his administration had done when compared to the administration of Glenn Smith.
As those with eyes tightly shut congratulate Sheriff Grubbs and his administration for running a “clean campaign,” I have come to the conclusion that yes, even in such a small race, people do get the government they deserve. Though Sheriff Grubbs and his supporters might deem what is found at www.browncountyconerned.com as mudslinging, might I suggest that perhaps the man who released this would not have felt such a need to make his voice heard had Sheriff Grubbs simply answered questions regarding this situation, among others, at the open forum rather than trying to cover it up? This man, Jimmy Simpson, has the right to have his voice heard as he states facts of what happened, as does each and every one of us. When you consider the information released by him and the civil liability if this information were false, it puts a damper on those who claim it to be untrue. Might I also suggest that this is an election concerning ethics and morals and the ways the people have been suppressed of their rights to know what has gone on in their public office? My personal belief is that Brown County deserves a sheriff who is willing to stand in front of the people and answer questions with honesty and openness in regards to administrative decisions (good and bad) and mistakes made, not one who tries to cover them up. When you cast your ballet on Tuesday, May 29th, remember, “In a democracy the people get the government they deserve.”
With Regards,
Pattimae Furry
