There’s a New Sheriff in This Idaho Town

In law enforcement, experience counts.  In many ways, Jack Johnson was running as an incumbent for Twin Falls County Sheriff.  He currently serves as a Twin Falls County Commissioner, but the man spent more than 30 years of his life wearing a badge.  When he announced he was a candidate with the retirement of Sheriff Tom Carter, I thought this would be a slam dunk.

I didn’t hear anything negative about Johnson’s opponent.  People told me he was a good guy.  He’s also relatively new to law enforcement in comparison.  The guy spent a lot of money.  A lot!  He came within 10 points of winning, even as Johnson focused mainly on the final two weeks of the campaign.

What disturbed me most was that some fellow law enforcers didn’t plan to vote for Mr. Johnson, claiming he’s been in politics for so long that he’s lost touch.  That’s a crock of slop.

While there may have been an anti-incumbent vibe this year, it shouldn’t apply to a law enforcement resume.  Who would you trust more in a crisis?

I gather a few of the people who voted for the other choice would’ve thought they were a better choice than the opponent.  Then why cast a vote for that fellow?

We’re going to be in good hands when January rolls around.

Getting back to crisis management, we dodged a bullet and it was closer than it should’ve been.  The view that someone can buy a seat went out during the 1800s.  The Sheriff’s Office isn’t a toy.  This is serious business for a serious man.

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