So what are we looking for today in our elected officials? Transparency, honesty, someone willing to serve, someone putting the community first, commitment?
I would say yes.
We have a very important election coming in March for Ashland County Sheriff. I have seen all the signs, but which candidate is the best? And what does the Sheriff do anyway?
The Sheriff is responsible for providing full police protection to the unincorporated areas of the county.
Providing law enforcement, court security, and service of papers on a countywide basis. Maintaining the county jail, extradition process, and transportation of prisoners.
Controlling the county courthouse, levies, execution and other ministerial duties. Providing law enforcement services, security, and crowd control for special events.
So what qualities do we look for in a Sheriff?
Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association says, “The Sheriff is the only elected law enforcement official in the State. This means that every four years he puts his record out for approval.
He is accountable to the citizen and voter. Besides the personal accountability required to maintain his post, the Sheriff is a professional, trained in the latest law enforcement techniques and criminal justice procedures.
It’s the combination of the above factors, along with the desire to perform public service, that makes the Sheriff a unique position among Ohio officials.
To be truly effective he must, and does, understand the integrity needed to do the job in a legal and responsible manner and uphold the public trust placed in him.”
In Chad Enderby’s campaign material and in his speeches he has continually stated he has served as a Special Deputy at the Ashland County Sheriff’s Office.
This statement is very misleading. Chad Enderby is not even in the auditor’s system, because he never worked one minute for the Sheriff’s Office. He also did not participate in the training process at the Sheriff’s Office to be cleared to work as a Special Deputy.
Therefore, he was not able to perform duties as a Special Deputy. He submitted the paperwork, but never put in the time or did the work so he could become an asset to the Sheriff’s Office.
To me this is a huge red flag. First, because he put out information which was not accurate and was therefore deceptive. Secondly, but most importantly, he had the opportunity to gain valuable experience and knowledge at the Sheriff’s Office which he wished to head.
He could have come in to see for himself what was working, where improvements could be made, and just familiarize himself with the daily activities and responsibilities of the Office. He did none of this.
With a public records request I have found out that Kurt Schneider has 55 pages of work history with the Sheriff’s Office compared to Chad Enderby’s “no data found.”
Kurt Schneider has the personal experience with the operations of the Sheriff’s Office as a Full Time and also Special Deputy. Chad Enderby does not, and it appears he did not have the interest to do so.
This all leads me to the conclusion that there is no way I can give my trust to Chad Enderby.
The choice is clear, there is only one man to vote for, the one with true integrity and experience in the Office, Kurt Schnieder.
Maggie McKinley
Loudonville, Ohio