My withdrawal from the Sheriff's race.

[Josh Sconiers]

I entered the Sheriff’s race approximately a month ago. I had and still stand behind my intentions of seeking the office for the betterment of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and for the people of Walton County. I have not sought this office for power, money or a higher retirement check. Effective Tuesday March 25th I will be exiting the Sheriffs race. After having spoken with my family members and my closest supporters I feel that it is in the best interest of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and for the people of Walton County for me to now exit the Sheriff’s race. There are many supporters who feel that I shouldn’t leave the race but there are many who feel that I am making the correct choice at this time. Regardless of what some posters think; the Sheriff has NOT gotten us all to jump into the Sheriff’s race. I for one have not been encouraged to enter the race by Sheriff Johnson and many of my supporters from within the department have caught grief by supporting me in my run for Sheriff. I completely do not agree with the way that Sheriff Johnson is running his organization. It is true that the Sheriff and I were close for a period of time. I performed many different assignments while employed under Sheriff Johnson and fulfilled many different job positions simultaneously for a very long period of time. There comes a time though when one person can only do so much and when someone is working as much if not more off duty for an organization than they do when they are on the clock with no compensation or appreciation; something is wrong there. I can also tell you that I do not agree with the way he treats his employees. The employees of the Sheriff’s office and any organization for that fact deserve to come to work in a stable working environment from day to day. They are people who are protecting your homes, businesses, and who will respond at the drop of a dime to stand between you and a bullet. They will put their life on the line in order to keep you and your families safe. They deserve a leader who will stand in the gap for them. They deserve to come to the work place and not to have to worry whether or not they will be employed from day to day because they may have a different view on certain subjects than you do. I can honestly say that I have never had a part in treating any employee unfairly while employed for Sheriff Johnson and the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office will vouch for what type of leader I am. They can also tell you that I never took the discretion out of the hands of the officer. I can feel good at night knowing that I had the best of intentions when I entered this race and I will now be able to sleep at night knowing that I am doing the right thing by stepping down to hopefully eliminate some of the chance that Sheriff Johnson might have had by me pulling some votes away from a possible stronger candidate for the office.

In the beginning I thought that the spilt vote factor would not be as big of an issue that is was the last Sheriff’s election. With so many people jumping into the race I feel that the voters will begin to get confused. There are a couple of strong candidates in this race now who are very qualified and who have a very good chance of having Sheriff Johnson removed from office. I encourage some other candidates who may feel as I do to take a second look at things. Look at the capital it is going to take to advertise and really be competitive. Take a second look at how many numbers you think you can really produce at the polls. Mainly look at the possibility of Sheriff Johnson going back into office and ask yourself if it is in the best interest of the people of Walton County to gamble when there is a possibility for this man to get another 4 years in office. I am smart enough to know that the race has now gotten to crowded and that there are a couple of well qualified candidates in the race now who I could feel comfortable to call Sheriff. I do not want to take away from their chances of removing someone who has lost touch with the people from office. It is for that reason mainly that I now resign from the race.

For those supporters of mine who do visit sowal.com I would like to thank you for helping me get petitions signed and for spreading my message to your families and friends. I am working part time now at the family restaurant and see new faces every day who ask which one of us Sconiers boys are running for Sheriff. Some people do not realize how much courage it takes to resign from your job and to take a leap of faith. It takes even more courage to speak out and withdraw when you know you are fighting a losing battle. I could make a good run for the office but I don’t want to risk us all having to go through this again for another 4 years. I really appreciate your support and your prayers.

[WileCoyote]

Class and Courage.

My hats off to you.

[Andy A]

Due to the fact you have been on the "inside" of the sheriff situation, I and many others on this board, I'm sure, would appreciate your stating who you think the qualified candidates you mention above are. Thank you for your forthrightness and the obvious sincerity reflected in your post. God's speed to you.

[SGB]

Wow! Very impressive.

I too would like to know who you think is the best qualified for the job. If you'd rather not say on the board, perhaps you could PM those that ask?

[Santiago]

Due to the fact you have been on the "inside" of the sheriff situation, I and many others on this board, I'm sure, would appreciate your stating who you think the qualified candidates you mention above are. Thank you for your forthrightness and the obvious sincerity reflected in your post. God's speed to you.

I second this post. I think that it is imperative that we get this guy(Johnson) out of office. Any insight would be appreicated. Hat's off to you being a stand up guy.

[seacrestkristi]

What a thoughtful post! Thanks for sharing, Josh. You are so right about speaking out. It can be very scary. My prayer for you is that you will be rewarded greatly in your own life for doing so. People like you help others to speak up against abuse in their jobs. Thanks for your bravery.

[WCcitizens]

I have alot of respect for you Mr. Sconiers! I think you have made one of the best decisions of your life today. Now make another one....support Chief Mike Adkinson in the sheriff's race! With your supporters, along with the Young Republicans, we can improve Walton County Sheriff's Office. My hat's off to you brother!!! God Bless.

[Josh Sconiers]

As I said before I believe that this race is going to take a substantial amount of capital because of the fact that it is going to become an advertising war in order to beat the current Sheriff with so many people in the race. It will also take someone who is well known and has a proven record. In the beginning I had my doubts about Chief Adkinson due to his family relations. I know him personally and have helped the P.D. out with developing a ruff scratch for their website. I gave one of his assistants the basic training needed to develop and maintain a working website for his agency. It was during this time that I got to know the Chief and established positive communications. When I jumped into this race I did so because it was my belief that none of the other candidates had the right intentions of seeking office to include the Chief or that I did not feel that they could get the votes needed to beat the current Sheriff. Many people have their doubts about the Chief’s Chief Investigator and his head of patrol because they served within the administration under Sheriff McMillan. I do not know what style of management these people had because I did not work under Sheriff McMillan. All I can tell you is that many of the veteran officers at the Sheriff’s Office resented the way Sheriff McMillan ran his office because he restrained the growth of the department and they were earning wages that would place them in poverty level. Can I say that these individuals contributed to these problems- no. Also like I said before with my doubt about his family relationships with Sheriff McMillan and Clayton Adkinson, many people question the way that the Chief might would run the Sheriff’s Office if elected. I can tell you from the Deputies stand point that this is the biggest factor as to whether or not the Deputies would be behind him. I spoke with the Chief yesterday and told him that I would be looking for a candidate to support being as how I was going to resign from the race today. He opened up our conversation commenting that he would like to tell me what his plans and the direction he would like to see the department take. I can say that we only had one difference in the way that we would run the office and it is nothing that would cause me not to vote for him. He did let me know that he realizes that he will answer to a higher power one day and God plays a big influence on the way he leads his lifestyle. We agreed approximately 98% on the direction that I feel the department needs to take. I have not decided as of yet and will consider things heavily over the next few weeks before I make a decision on who exactly I will support but I believe he is qualified to be the next Sheriff and yes he is one I could feel comfortable calling Sheriff. I also feel that he has the resources available to run a competitive race to overcome the incumbent.

The other individual I feel that has the “juice” to overcome the current incumbent and who I believe would run a good program is Tom Cooper. Cooper has done an excellent job at Sandestin and his name is also well known. He takes care of the people under his command and also has the resources available to adequately compete in this race. One of my best friends use to work as one of Cooper’s Lieutenants and he has always spoken very highly of Tom Cooper. It was not until last night that I knew that Tom Cooper had pre-filed. I do not believe that he is being influenced by the Sheriff to run because everything that I have heard about Cooper does not agree with the Sheriff’s style of management. I knew of Tom’s intentions to one day run for Sheriff but did not know that he was considering it this go around. I do know that he was employed by the Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff McMillan and have heard that he definitely does not stand for the way that Sheriff McMillan ran the department. I have not spoken with him personally that is just what I have heard from my friend. My friend is very creditable and is a people person as am I. I know that there was one time that I had dealings with Tom personally while working the road and I was impressed that he did not attempt to take the discretion out of the hands of the officer when he was placed in a situation where he could have very well asked for a favor with a family member. I was impressed by his level of professionalism.

I will not say as to why these are my top two and the others are not. I have seen enough candidate bashing and do not want to contribute the cause. I like, personally know and are friends with all of the other candidates except for Tony. The only reason why I do not say the same for Tony is because I do not personally know him. I have a cousin who works for Tony and thinks highly of him as well. The only thing I can say is that with the recent Burke foobar with the Mosquito Control Board I do not feel like the citizens will look to favorably upon someone coming into a race having made it known that he lives in another county. I appreciate his honesty but perhaps if he had come into the race after renting an apartment in Walton County or something he might would stand a better chance. I just don’t think it will fly with people in the north end of the county. I could talk on and on but I have got to go to work. I will look forward to seeing if I have provided the answers you are seeking in a few hours when I get off.

[ShallowsNole]

Hey Josh - best of luck. Come see us at the Annex sometime.

[WCcitizens]

Josh....get ready for the phone lines to start lighting up at your house or on your cell! Even though he's been thrown out of the candidate pool for sheriff, ole cooper will still be trying to give you a call to convince you in to jump on board with him and his "Stan Sunday Storm Troopers and Glidewell Gladiators"!
Alot of us here in S. Walton believe you need to team up with Mike Adkinson and make your vote count! We understand that cooper will get a few votes in Sandestin but thats about it. So try not to fall into the hole that Ralph's distant soldiers have dug. Believe me, Ralph is just sitting back praying you'll go for cooper's request to join him!!! But don't worry S. Walton have confidence in your judgement and know you'll help Chief Adkinson!

[Starfish2008]

I know both Stan Sunday and Tom Cooper. They are both fine upstanding men. Although Stan worked for Ralph it does not mean that he shared or supported his views. Tom Cooper never even worked for the man so how can he be one of Ralph's boy's. Since Stan is not even a canidate for anything it is pretty low to be dragging him into this. If you want to support Adkinson, then do it and quit slinging mud at good people.

[Starfish2008]

I forgot, you should leave Mr. Glidewell out of this. The last I heard he was running the jail, not running for Sheriff.

[Nine4cobra]

I know both Stan Sunday and Tom Cooper. They are both fine upstanding men. Although Stan worked for Ralph it does not mean that he shared or supported his views. Tom Cooper never even worked for the man so how can he be one of Ralph's boy's. Since Stan is not even a canidate for anything it is pretty low to be dragging him into this. If you want to support Adkinson, then do it and quit slinging mud at good people.

AMEN...

[Danny Glidewell]

Josh....get ready for the phone lines to start lighting up at your house or on your cell! Even though he's been thrown out of the candidate pool for sheriff, ole cooper will still be trying to give you a call to convince you in to jump on board with him and his "Stan Sunday Storm Troopers and Glidewell Gladiators"!
Alot of us here in S. Walton believe you need to team up with Mike Adkinson and make your vote count! We understand that cooper will get a few votes in Sandestin but thats about it. So try not to fall into the hole that Ralph's distant soldiers have dug. Believe me, Ralph is just sitting back praying you'll go for cooper's request to join him!!! But don't worry S. Walton have confidence in your judgement and know you'll help Chief Adkinson!

WCcitizens:

I do not know who you are, but if you are going to write such as this you should at least sign your name to it.
For the record, because I am employed as Corrections Director for Walton County, I do not think it is appropriate for me to endorse a candidate for Sheriff, therefore, I will not. I know each one of the candidates and have worked with or around each of them. Whoever is elected, I look forward to working with them.
As far as Tom Cooper, he and I go back to the early 1990's when we were both deputies and sergeants together. I think Tom is a fine man and fully capable of fulfilling the duties of Sheriff. Tony Cornman and I go back to high school and were deputies together in the mid 80's. Likewise he is a fine man and fully qualified to be Sheriff. Jimmy Macon and I were School Resource Officers together and therefore I know him to be a fine man who is committed to young people. I only worked with Rick Brown a short while and have nothing bad to report. Others in the field whom I have great respect for say he is a fine man. Dennis Wise worked for me for a couple of years and we had a good working relationship. He had some differences with me, however, that is his privilege. I have known Mike Adkinson professionally since he came back to DeFuniak and attend the same church as he does. While we have had our differences, I have always found him available to discuss issues and willing to work with others. I think he is fully qualified to be Sheriff. I think that covers everyone.
As to Sheriff Johnson, I will not comment, except to say that I have personal differences with him. I am certainly not one of his "boys."
I choose to remain out of this race and wish to keep it that way. I wish each of these men good luck and commend them for placing their name up for consideration by the citizens of Walton County. Likewise, I commend you Mr. WCCitizen for supporting your particular candidate, however, I think you will find that character assassinations and spreading half-truths/untruths about people who are uncommitted does not help your candidate. Why don't you confine yourself to telling us what is good about your candidate instead of such trash as written above.
Danny Glidewell

[Badges?]

Thank you Danny. I appreciate your insight.

[WileCoyote]

Starfish2008

Tom Cooper works for Ralph Johnson everyday. He is the Lieutenat over The Sheriff's Auxilary. Funny thing is he does it for free.

He's Ralph's Boy - if he weren't he would resign.

Kinda Like Barack Obama - his preacher is Rev. Wright - if he disagreed with his positions, actions and outrageous comments he would find himself a new preacher.

Tom's still there !

[Starfish2008]

Starfish2008

Tom Cooper works for Ralph Johnson everyday. He is the Lieutenat over The Sheriff's Auxilary. Funny thing is he does it for free.

He's Ralph's Boy - if he weren't he would resign.

Kinda Like Barack Obama - his preacher is Rev. Wright - if he disagreed with his positions, actions and outrageous comments he would find himself a new preacher.

Tom's still there !

It is amazing to me that you know so much about the Sheriff's Department. That means that you should know that most of the people that work for the Auxilary are former Deputies that are doing it to keep up their standards. They also only put the uniform on for special functions. I am sure Walton County citizens are glad to see them also.

[Starfish2008]

One more thing, I am glad that Tom Cooper and the other Auxilary work for free, because if they didn't then we would have to pay a deputy overtime to do the work that these fine men and women do. It is great to know that they are willing to give up time with their families to do a service for the citizens that they are not getting paid for.

[WileCoyote]

Well Starfish - Mr. Cooper listed his association with Sheriff Johnson in his Bio Posting.

Read, research and digest.

Your knowledge of the Auxilary and why those people donate their time seems pretty knowledgeable.

A direct connection could be inferred.

Next

[Starfish2008]

Well Starfish - Mr. Cooper listed his association with Sheriff Johnson in his Bio Posting.

Read, research and digest.

Your knowledge of the Auxilary and why those people donate their time seems pretty knowledgeable.

A direct connection could be inferred.

Next

Actually WileCoyote I did research the Auxilary. That is how come I know about it. I have made the point of actually talking to these fine people when I see them at the Fair, ballgames, etc.... I also know some of the families of these fine upstanding citizens and have talked to them about the reasons that their loved one is doing this for free. Maybe if more people would take the time to talk to them they would then be better informed. Instead of making comments that just sling mud.

[wrobert]

Actually WileCoyote I did research the Auxilary. That is how come I know about it. I have made the point of actually talking to these fine people when I see them at the Fair, ballgames, etc.... I also know some of the families of these fine upstanding citizens and have talked to them about the reasons that their loved one is doing this for free. Maybe if more people would take the time to talk to them they would then be better informed. Instead of making comments that just sling mud.

Since you happened to do the research, how many people are there in the Sheriff's Auxillary now?

[WileCoyote]

I respect your decision to not endorse one of the candidates.

Could you share your thoughts one which ones have a real chance of beating Ralphie in a 8 man race ?

[WCcitizens]

Boy! I must have hit the nail on the head and hurt some feelings. But you know what??? That usually happens when the truth comes out and people try to support someone under the radar and doesn't want to be known that they support them. As for me supporting Mike Adkinson....I'm for supporting the most qualified candidate! That just happens to be Mike Adkinson, there's no one else more qualified to run the Sheriff's Office that's in the race? As for Stan Sunday and you Starfish Glidewell....your names will always be associated with Ralph because you were his right hand men, right beside him during all his shady firing, hiring and bad treatment of his employees while you were working for him. Just because you jumped ship and went to the jail the citizens of Walton County know where you originated from. So let me get this straight, you supported him during his good times when he was on top but now that his name is being dragged through the mud...oh, you don't associate him anymore or better yet your excuse is, "I work at the jail now". Please Starfish give us all a break! Everyone knows that the both you guys jumped ship before the election was nearing. It's all politics brother. Let's see "POLITICS"....you two remind me of that word. If you break it down, "Poly" means Alot and "Ticks" mean blood sucking! So put it together and what do you get???? Ralphies Boys.
As for the Aux. Deputies....We never see them out. An besides there are alot of other agencies around they can join to keep up their standards. It's their choice to stay with Ralph, such as cooper. At Least Sconiers, when he left the department, cut all ties from Ralphie. We don't see him staying to keep up his standards. Sorry that it slipped out about you and Stan being directly connected to cooper and Ralphie but that's what you get when you stood behind Ralph for the last eight years. Besides Stan would be in the race today if he wasn't worried about the "Hatch Act". We'll signing off from S. Walton. Goodbye!

[Nine4cobra]

what... oh sorry, I fell asleep listening to the lullaby of flopping mud...

[WCcitizens]

You can call it mud slinging if you want.....I have another word for it..."The Truth". I guess Coyote is the only one that can see what alot of us in S. Walton sees. Take care and I will keep you and your busted mustang on our prayer lists.

[Nine4cobra]

You can call it mud slinging if you want.....I have another word for it..."The Truth". I guess Coyote is the only one that can see what alot of us in S. Walton sees. Take care and I will keep you and your busted mustang on our prayer lists.

wow... guess I struck a nerve.
It's nice to see we've reverted now to 3rd grade tactics.

"Oh yeah, well my car is better than yours..."

And thank you for keeping me out of your prayers. I, however, will continue to pray for you and your "political run" or "support" of your chosen candidate.

[Nine4cobra]

Oh yeah, and sorry Josh for jumping in on your thread... I couldn't resist.

[Starfish2008]

Boy! I must have hit the nail on the head and hurt some feelings. But you know what??? That usually happens when the truth comes out and people try to support someone under the radar and doesn't want to be known that they support them. As for me supporting Mike Adkinson....I'm for supporting the most qualified candidate! That just happens to be Mike Adkinson, there's no one else more qualified to run the Sheriff's Office that's in the race? As for Stan Sunday and you Starfish Glidewell....your names will always be associated with Ralph because you were his right hand men, right beside him during all his shady firing, hiring and bad treatment of his employees while you were working for him. Just because you jumped ship and went to the jail the citizens of Walton County know where you originated from. So let me get this straight, you supported him during his good times when he was on top but now that his name is being dragged through the mud...oh, you don't associate him anymore or better yet your excuse is, "I work at the jail now". Please Starfish give us all a break! Everyone knows that the both you guys jumped ship before the election was nearing. It's all politics brother. Let's see "POLITICS"....you two remind me of that word. If you break it down, "Poly" means Alot and "Ticks" mean blood sucking! So put it together and what do you get???? Ralphies Boys.
As for the Aux. Deputies....We never see them out. An besides there are alot of other agencies around they can join to keep up their standards. It's their choice to stay with Ralph, such as cooper. At Least Sconiers, when he left the department, cut all ties from Ralphie. We don't see him staying to keep up his standards. Sorry that it slipped out about you and Stan being directly connected to cooper and Ralphie but that's what you get when you stood behind Ralph for the last eight years. Besides Stan would be in the race today if he wasn't worried about the "Hatch Act". We'll signing off from S. Walton. Goodbye!

Speaking of striking nerves, looks like someone hit yours. I can guarentee that I am not one of Ralph's 'boys", my gynocologist assures me I am all woman. And it seems to me that you have alot of room to talk about anyone, at least Glidewell was "boy" enough to sign his name to his stuff. You apparently need to research "guts."Maybe Stan will join forces with Tom and keep people like you away from any kind of authority to take someone to jail, although I suspect you unfortunately have that authority in DeFuniak Springs right nowStarfish signing off from S. Walton,goodbye.

[sandybanks]

I entered the Sheriff’s race approximately a month ago. I had and still stand behind my intentions of seeking the office for the betterment of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and for the people of Walton County. I have not sought this office for power, money or a higher retirement check. Effective Tuesday March 25th I will be exiting the Sheriffs race. After having spoken with my family members and my closest supporters I feel that it is in the best interest of the Walton County Sheriff’s Office and for the people of Walton County for me to now exit the Sheriff’s race. There are many supporters who feel that I shouldn’t leave the race but there are many who feel that I am making the correct choice at this time. Regardless of what some posters think; the Sheriff has NOT gotten us all to jump into the Sheriff’s race. I for one have not been encouraged to enter the race by Sheriff Johnson and many of my supporters from within the department have caught grief by supporting me in my run for Sheriff. I completely do not agree with the way that Sheriff Johnson is running his organization. It is true that the Sheriff and I were close for a period of time. I performed many different assignments while employed under Sheriff Johnson and fulfilled many different job positions simultaneously for a very long period of time. There comes a time though when one person can only do so much and when someone is working as much if not more off duty for an organization than they do when they are on the clock with no compensation or appreciation; something is wrong there. I can also tell you that I do not agree with the way he treats his employees. The employees of the Sheriff’s office and any organization for that fact deserve to come to work in a stable working environment from day to day. They are people who are protecting your homes, businesses, and who will respond at the drop of a dime to stand between you and a bullet. They will put their life on the line in order to keep you and your families safe. They deserve a leader who will stand in the gap for them. They deserve to come to the work place and not to have to worry whether or not they will be employed from day to day because they may have a different view on certain subjects than you do. I can honestly say that I have never had a part in treating any employee unfairly while employed for Sheriff Johnson and the men and women of the Sheriff’s Office will vouch for what type of leader I am. They can also tell you that I never took the discretion out of the hands of the officer. I can feel good at night knowing that I had the best of intentions when I entered this race and I will now be able to sleep at night knowing that I am doing the right thing by stepping down to hopefully eliminate some of the chance that Sheriff Johnson might have had by me pulling some votes away from a possible stronger candidate for the office.

In the beginning I thought that the spilt vote factor would not be as big of an issue that is was the last Sheriff’s election. With so many people jumping into the race I feel that the voters will begin to get confused. There are a couple of strong candidates in this race now who are very qualified and who have a very good chance of having Sheriff Johnson removed from office. I encourage some other candidates who may feel as I do to take a second look at things. Look at the capital it is going to take to advertise and really be competitive. Take a second look at how many numbers you think you can really produce at the polls. Mainly look at the possibility of Sheriff Johnson going back into office and ask yourself if it is in the best interest of the people of Walton County to gamble when there is a possibility for this man to get another 4 years in office. I am smart enough to know that the race has now gotten to crowded and that there are a couple of well qualified candidates in the race now who I could feel comfortable to call Sheriff. I do not want to take away from their chances of removing someone who has lost touch with the people from office. It is for that reason mainly that I now resign from the race.

For those supporters of mine who do visit sowal.com I would like to thank you for helping me get petitions signed and for spreading my message to your families and friends. I am working part time now at the family restaurant and see new faces every day who ask which one of us Sconiers boys are running for Sheriff. Some people do not realize how much courage it takes to resign from your job and to take a leap of faith. It takes even more courage to speak out and withdraw when you know you are fighting a losing battle. I could make a good run for the office but I don’t want to risk us all having to go through this again for another 4 years. I really appreciate your support and your prayers.

Are you related to Junior?

[idlewind]

I respect your decision to not endorse one of the candidates.

Could you share your thoughts one which ones have a real chance of beating Ralphie in a 8 man race ?

Wile, I do not think you were requesting my opinion, but I can't resist the opportunity to share with the group. I think the race at this time shapes up like this:

Adkinson.....25%
Cooper.......25%
Cornman.....25%
Johnson......10%
Macon.........5%
Brown.........5%
Wise...........5%

I see no clear cut favorite at this time as each of the front-runners have strong areas and lack a countywide presence. Johnson is finished and the other three have no chance to win without a lot of time and money invested.