The Cedar Key News has emailed questions to local candidates.
We will post them as we receive the answers. What are your qualifications for this office? My qualifications for Sheriff, I feel, far exceed any other candidate due to my extensive service to our county. I have had the privilege to serve under four Sheriffs during my career. Three of these, I served as their Chief Deputy, Director of Law Enforcement, or Director of Administration. I have administered budgets from $200,000 to $9 million with success. In addition, I gained valuable experience from also serving with the Florida Highway Patrol and as Executive Director of the Eighth Circuit State Attorney`s office. I have also worked in the private sector and understand what our business community is faced with each day. I am vested in our communities, having been involved in volunteering my time to various civic, youth and church groups for many years. In addition to my experience, I prepared myself by earning a Bachelors degree from the University of Florida and a Masters degree in Criminal Justice, as well as hundreds of hours of professional law enforcement training courses.
Most importantly, I have the sincerity and dedication to serve our citizens to the best of my ability with respect, honesty and fairness. How will you save the taxpayers money? As your Sheriff, I will control the cost to our taxpayers to the best of my ability, while respecting the needs for service and protection to our citizens and while balancing the need to keep the Sheriff`s office employees properly trained, safe and fairly paid for what they do. We will work to eliminate wasteful spending by eliminating outside payment to professionals for services that should be done by employees already on staff. We will reinstate a replacement vehicle plan that better utilizes the large inventory of vehicles, and better controls expenditures for new vehicles. We will reduce out of county use of vehicles to control fuel costs. We will make every effort to purchase goods and services for the operation of the Sheriff`s office, from within the county so as to return taxpayers` dollars to our local businesses and taxpayers. We will encourage and reward our employees for being cost-conscious in their daily duties and for eliminating wasteful practices. We will make sure we are operating the jail in the most efficient manner possible and will continually look for ways to shift more of the burden to the inmate and less on the taxpayer. The effective professional and business leadership I will bring as your Sheriff through my management staff, can and will make a difference for the citizens and taxpayers of Levy County. What is the most important thing you wish to accomplish if elected to this office? As your Sheriff, the most important thing I wish to accomplish is to provide professional, effective leadership, direction and accountability to the Sheriff`s office. These are general terms, but the results of accomplishing these have a direct and positive influence on the attitude, confidence and dedication of the Sheriff`s office employees. The results of these attributes will be seen in the professional and dedicated service of the employees to the citizens we serve.The most important goal for me as your Sheriff will always be to protect and serve our citizens in the most efficient manner with the resources that are entrusted to us by you the citizen and taxpayer. As Sheriff, I want to have employees that are proud to work for the Levy County Sheriff`s office and citizens that can feel pride in their Sheriff`s office. Under my leadership we will make every effort to provide our citizens with the assurance and confidence that we will work tirelessly to professionally protect and serve them. I will hold myself, my staff and the Sheriff`s office employees accountable to deliver to you, the citizens, dedicated, honest and professional law enforcement services. | 