An Educated Voter is an Asset to Beaufort County

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An Educated Voter is an Asset to Beaufort County

Published: Thursday, April 17th, 2014 @ 12:32 am
By: Harry Meredith, Jr. ( More Entries )

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    On May 6, 2014, voters will go to the polls to select the Republican nominee for the general election in November. As in all political races, it is important the voter makes an informed decision. To that end, I would like to present some information to help clarify a few key issues. This is the second part of a series of articles to help the voters.

    You will hear repeatedly the accreditation program at the Sheriff's Office costs the tax payers between $100,000.00 and $250,000.00 a year. Those touting this number do not explain this wide range of figures that change yearly. Some claim this money can be used to put 4-6 Deputies on the road at no additional cost to the tax payers or pay the detention officers more money. First, the Sheriff can't add any positions without the approval of the Commissioners or increase the pay of any member of his Office without approval. Second, each new position will cost approximately $80,000.00. Those with little or no experience are not expected to know salary is less than half the cost of a new position. Knowing the budget comes with experience.

    There is a bigger problem, however, with this fantasy. According to Jim Chrisman, Chief Financial Officer of Beaufort County, the accreditation program has approved funding from the county commissioners of $9,500.00 this fiscal year. This is approximately one-tenth of one position. This is not an argument for or against the accreditation program. I am providing facts to illustrate how some candidates use false information to influence the voter.

    If anyone tells you there are hidden costs in this program, ask him to give you the details and explain how that money can be used to create new positions. Remember, the candidate has to detail approximately $240,000.00 in hidden costs to reach the stated claim of cost. Since the Commissioners, the County Manager and the Chief Financial Officer do not know how this can be done, perhaps a more qualified person can explain it to them at the next Commissioners meeting.

    In a local race, especially the Sheriff's race, no one should intentionally deceive the voters by spreading false information in order to gain support. The people deserve a Sheriff they can trust and rely on for advice based on facts.

    Now, there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Using statistics to compare apples to oranges in order to confuse the reader and prove a point about the increase in crime in Beaufort County is easy to do. When a candidate mentions Beaufort County crime, does he mean the Sheriff's Office or all of the towns in Beaufort County plus the Sheriff's Office? Only the candidate presenting the information knows the answer. A careful reading of the violent crime rate listed by the State Bureau of Investigations for the Sheriff's Office is 208 incidents per 100,000 population and is about the lowest in ten years. Any crime is unacceptable in this county, but this number is relatively low.

    The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office's violent crime rate is less than half the rate of Manteo, Maggie Valley and the City of Beaufort. The violent crime rate in the rural areas of Beaufort County is more in line with violent crime in Winterville. The violent crime rate in Washington, NC, depending on the years compared, is 4-6 times higher than the rate listed for the Sheriff's Office. In my opinion, someone has made an error in math by adding the Washington rate to the Sheriff's Office rate to drive the numbers up and create fear. Remember, some candidates must create fear and distrust to get votes.

    Men and women who run for public office must have the knowledge and the skills to succeed in whatever office they occupy. For example, I am running for the Office of Sheriff. I should know the law, have experience as an executive law enforcement officer managing a complex organization, have good human relations skills and be honest and dedicated. I have demonstrated these qualities my entire life and during my twenty-seven year law enforcement career.

    I have extensive training in many areas, a proven record of fiscal responsibility and a history as an effective administrator and leader. I am grounded in my spirituality and believe in the value of each person. I understand that being entrusted as your Sheriff demands the highest standards of accountability. I feel I can earn your trust because I take the time to listen to others. I am not quick to judge and will not allow emotions to cloud my judgment. I am a professional and can be relied on as a trusted friend.

     Republican Candidate for Sheriff of Beaufort County

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Comments

Donald Dixon said:

( April 20th, 2014 @ 3:54 pm )

Actual numbers aren’t important to most voters, like Mr. Taylor stated, so let me state my position differently. The waste I plan on cutting for the Sheriff’s Office is everything that doesn’t work – everything that does not protect property and lives of our citizens, and that which hinders deputy performance.

I intend on setting policy in place to correct any issues deputies may have dealing with the public or other agencies in Beaufort County. I will encourage deputies to work with the Police and Highway Patrol to create a safe environment for everyone.

My opponent thinks that he can bully and twist the truth to gain votes, again I ask the public to consider his record. He has proved himself to be many things, but a businessman he is not, nor an honest man.

Voting starts in four days. Correct problems in our county, vote Donald Dixon for Sheriff.

John Taylor said:

( April 19th, 2014 @ 12:28 am )

Just a few comments based on my humble experience. Accreditation, I believe this is a decision based on management/leadership. The effectiveness of a department is going to be determined by the soul and determination of it's members, not accreditation. Numbers/$'s can be manipulated depending on numerous variables from how a department chooses to report it's crime statistics in relation to the UCR to where items are listed in the budget. The average voter isn't familiar with the vast majority of what it takes to run an operation of this size. I bet most of them are looking for Sheriff Andy Griffith, a fair, modest and Christian man. This election shouldn't be about numbers, it's going to be a finite amount anyway, it should be about how leadership chooses to spend them.

Donald Dixon said:

( April 17th, 2014 @ 7:26 am )

I guess I should be flattered by my opponent’s attacks on me; if it weren’t for me stating my position on important issues, he wouldn’t have anything to talk about! Take the jail for example; my opponent was for wasting 20 plus million dollars before he heard I was against it. The same holds true for our second amendment rights, he stated first that he would do whatever the Government told him to do – that is, until he heard that I promised to stand up for your rights under the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. At the Tea Party Forum, my opponent was pressed on the question of protecting the second amendment; he stood up and said a bunch of words without answering the question.

My opponent would want you to believe he ran the jail and the Sheriff’s office for 13 years, I suppose that is true and one on the reasons it has been mismanaged the way it has. Issues in the jail were all from neglect, and I believe calculated deceit on the commissioners and public. If the building was taken care of the way it should have been, we wouldn’t be talking about building a jail at all right now.

My opponent was “Chief Investigator” when BCSO mailed out letters to taxpaying citizens telling them that their property crime wasn’t NOT important enough to investigate, he blamed it on commissioners. It was soon exposed as a lie.

My opponent has come out with 4 to 5 different costs for the “accreditation program”, starting at 4,200 up to $9,500 a year now. That is a lie. The COST of CELEA is much more than the yearly fee. You have to consider the 2-4 junkets per year involving 3-4 people, audits, manpower, and other costs and hoops to jump. Only after you add up the TRUE cost of something can you see its value – CELEA has no value. My opponent can jump up and down all he wants, but he obviously is no businessman, if so he would know there are more costs involved than just membership. [Oh, and the REAL cost of the piece of paper is over $150,000 a year.]

When I state crime has gone up in Beaufort County, I am talking about the trend of crime. You can’t take a single number and know anything about what’s going on, it takes multiple points to get the trend, or flow. I guess my opponent’s English degree didn’t teach him that.

My opponent has a track record as a Democrat; I wonder how different it would be now that he claims to be a Republican.

Of the Republican candidates: I am the best choice based on education, with a B.S. and a Masters Degree in a subject the actually benefits the Office I seek. I have over 30 years of business experience with 26 years being self employed in Beaufort County, the others all made a living off Government checks. I am the only candidate that has patrolled Beaufort County as a deputy sheriff; I know what the problems are and how to fix them.

I ask the citizens of this county, my home, to vote Dixon for Sheriff – fix the problem at the Sheriff’s Office, don’t put the problem back. Thank you.
Donald Dixon