To answer 1014's question, YES! It is! Beyond any shadow of a doubt. The alternative is terrible. The men and women who serve under Sheriff Mitchell have endorsed him because he is the best candidate and they are in the best position to know.
On the other blog, you'll hear how many of the deputies are corrupt, but even they can't explain away why Mitchell got 44 endorsement votes and his opponent got 0. They are either faced with arguing that ALL the deputies are corrupt or that even the good ones support Sheriff Mitchell. No one believes that all, or even a significant percentage, of the deputies are corrupt, so they are left with only one truth....The good deputies support Mitchell. Of course when you point this FACT out, they simply delete your comment rather than face it.
Baxter was a better alternative to Mitchell's opponent, but Baxter is no longer in the race. I've met him and spoken with him at length. He seems like a very nice person. He certainly has a lot of experience and you don't get that far in a law enforcement career unless you've got some moxy. I give him his props, had he waged a more comprehensive campaign he would have been hard to beat. Even if he doesn't feel he can endorse Sheriff Mitchell, I would call on him to support the rank and file's choice for Sheriff and that is Mitchell.
I've also met and spoken with Rivero and he does not seem like a nice person. He has charisma, and has people working very hard to elect him, so in those respects his candidacy should be taken seriously, but he lacks any credible experience. 3 years as a deputy sheriff, a decade long break in service and 6 years at SFPD do NOT qualify a person to be Sheriff. At best we'd be looking at a incompetent sheriff. Oh sure he could embalm the living heck out of the coroner's cases, but that doesn't mean he knows how to investigate a coroner's case, or act as the Coroner. He can arrange a funeral, but can he arrange a forensic pathalogical examination? Or oversee a homicide investigation?
I look at it this way. Consider Sheriff Mitchell's endorsements...Business and community leaders, prominent citizens and virtually all law enforcement. His opponent's supporters don't measure up. Their tactics are intimidation, Clover Dairy, Kelseyville Lumber and various other businesses, lies about the deputies who serve this community, and harrasment of anyone who doesn't cowtow to their particular set of beliefs. That is not how America works.
Considering that we are entering into the worst economical period in my life, I want a fiscally responsible person at the controls of the budget. Yes the BOS controls the money, but the Office of the Sheriff could very easily force them into a situation where they have to cover costs greater than anticipated. Sheriff Mitchell has never gone over budget in 15 years, that means something to me. Yeah, we don't have a cop on every corner (and we don't need one), but it seems to me he does more with less, and his opponent is trying to use that against him. It's backfiring.
Every politician seeking to unseat an incumbent makes promises that can't possibly be kept. It's an age old tactic because it works. Everyone also thinks they can do it better, and that seldom works too. President Obama came to office filled with high hopes and the promise of change. How has that worked out for us?
Mitchell has a proven track record of getting the job done. Even the problems in the department are being dealt with according to the law. It certainly would be politically expediant to pick and choose which rules, policies and laws Sheriff Mitchell wants to follow, but instead, he does the right thing even when it causes him political damage. I want that in my public servants.
