« Who’s Headed for Washington? Breaking down the 2006 federal midterm primary elections | Main | We pause now for these interruptions »
June 21, 2006
The Long Arm of the Law
I know it's hard to know about all the candidates, especially for offices like Sheriff. I'm fortunate in that I haven't had to deal directly with the department, if you know what I'm sayin'. I freely acknowledge that I am relying on relayed facts and opinions from a trusted source (who's also a former Sheriff Department employee) to complete my thinking on this race.
I don't relish the fact that we have elections for certain non-legislative and non-executive offices; but the alternative (appointments) seems ripe for the worst kinds of abuse. At the least, though, let's move away from partisan elections of general services officers, like Sheriff, and the court clerks, trustees, and so on.
So please don't take this as a partisan stance, but I'm encouraging a vote for Billy Long for Sheriff of Hamilton County on August 3. The kicker (for me) is his promise to bring back the domestic violence and child abuse task forces, which were taken away by Sheriff Cupp. I can go either way on School Resource Officers, and I think DARE may be a somewhat misguided effort, but the women and children of this county need the specialized skills of the domestic violence units. Plus, the officers and inmates in the county jail are at extreme risk every day due to the overcrowding and the inefficient system there, and Billy Long is energized to change that, unlike his incumbent opposition.
Check out Long's website, and do read up on the other candidates as well. After you've done that, go to Chattanoogan.com and register your online vote.
Hamilton County Elections | By joe lance | 10:56 PM