DFS Herald Sheriff's poll. Who has your vote?

Watcher,

I know Mr. Sconiers very well, he has a very diverse background with qualifications in various fields. As for his leadership abilities, perhaps you should speak to the men who were under his command. You are completely correct about some of the captains jobs. It is my understanding that he was directed by the Sheriff to perfrom many duties with the S.O. which appeared to me to be somebody else's job. As for the splitting the vote comment, I think Sconiers is the only one running for the right reasons. Perhaps you should speak to some of the other candidates about this instead. You didn't offend me, I just wish people would become more informed.

Thank you for your reply and understanding my view point. I believe many people would be interested in further understanding the work load and how it relates to the Captains Jobs. This is no surprise as I know people have been made Captain overnight, quite literally, and then sent right back down the ladder. Please elaborate if you can. If he has this type of experience, it needs to be made public. Not only will it help to establish his credibility, but it will also shed some additional light (not like its really needed) on the level of incompetence that currently exists in the S.O. leadership.

I really do understand if you choose not to as I am well aware of the circumstances the deputies work under. As for your reply about Josh's qualifications, is there some place we can see them (qualifications) or can you let us know them? I am looking for specifics, such as; College Degree (what, where), years of Law Enforcement Experience, other professional experience, other organizational memberships or activities, any additional law enforcement accreditation or training (specialized, not standards or updated certifications). This is the information people need to know to make the best decision.

I will agree with you that I am sure Josh is running for all the right reasons, I just wish he had the experience to supplement the heart. Sorry.

You are either very new to the area or very new to the political process in this county and how it works.

Neither is correct. I am just looking for alternatives to the garbage that has been our "elections". You seem very negative, try being positive.

Neither is correct. I am just looking for alternatives to the garbage that has been our "elections". You seem very negative, try being positive.

You offer alternatives as 'new ideas', which are not. It leads me to believe you lack historical knowledge of political events. Thus you are either a fairly new resident, or a fairly newly involved individual. Nothing I say is negative, more logical than anything else. Hmmmm.....I seem to be making a deduction based upon evidence that you provide.

Dear “The Watcher”,
I’m not sure exactly who you are but you obviously haven’t been paying attention or “watching” as your name says , what does actually go on within the Sheriff’s Office and what a few of these guys have actually done for the Sheriff’s Office. Before you start accusing some of them of being inexperienced and “not qualified” maybe, just maybe you should sit down with them, talk to them to see what they have actually done in the past and intend on doing if they get in office. I personally know all of these candidates except one of them and that being Richard Brown. I know them quite well too. I will go ahead and tell you that I am supporting Josh Sconiers if he does run. I take offense to some or most of the things you have to say about him. I’m not sure how he was “spoon fed” his rank but maybe you need to get your facts together on what all he did within the Sheriff’s Office. I guarantee you he has done more in his 7 years with the Sheriff’s Office than the rest of these will do when they reach 30 years. Okay, and the “very young” part: Do you actually know how old he really is? If you don’t, you may want to take that comment back because I do believe he isn’t much younger than three of the other candidates. And now the “cushiony” bailiff’s job. Why don’t you ask him about that one too. Find out why he is really there. It isn’t because he wants to be. Maybe if he didn’t have to do most of the Captains jobs, his own jobs, and handle the computers too then he might would still be a road Sgt. I think only one person can handle so much without any help. So, before you or anyone else starts in on this “gossip” why don’t you find out the facts before you start talking or typing. I’m not just defending Josh Sconiers. This race is already going to be dirty enough with rumors flying and backstabbing.

FactsB4Fiction;
Rick Brown is currently employed by WCSO. You can call him to set up a time where you could meet him to make an "informed" decision. You just may find he is more qualified than Mr. Sconiers. I know that Mr.Sconiers is a fine and hard working honest person and dedicated to law enforcement, but I too believe he needs more law enforcement experience before he takes on this awesome task. Rick Brown has that experience and the endurance needed to handle the sheriff's job and he too is a fine, hard working honest person. Rick can be reached at (850) 974-0638. He is off Tues/Wed/Thurs and can meet with you then.His web site should be coming out next week.

Thank you for the correction regarding Mr Imfeld's name. I always screw up his name, and I don't do it intentionally.

WaltonGOP, thanks for the pointing out the correction in your post. I thought it read a little weird, but sometimes I write a little weird too, and didn't think much about it. So the area was Dem until the late 1990's? Any idea of why the shift to the GOP occurred, and why so suddenly? Thanks also for the numbers of "other" voters compared to the Dems and Reps.

Thank you for the correction regarding Mr Imfeld's name. I always screw up his name, and I don't do it intentionally.

WaltonGOP, thanks for the pointing out the correction in your post. I thought it read a little weird, but sometimes I write a little weird too, and didn't think much about it. So the area was Dem until the late 1990's? Any idea of why the shift to the GOP occurred, and why so suddenly? Thanks also for the numbers of "other" voters compared to the Dems and Reps.

If I remember correctly that was the first time the GOP fielded a full slate of qualified candidates. They had people in all the races before then, but the quality was a bit lacking. But you could see the numbers growing. So some people jumped over and ran, they had enough name id to get nowal votes and being republican got them sowal votes. Once that sweep happened in 1998, it was a free for all as everyone started switching. The problem then became one of lifetime born and raised democrats now switching to republican. And we still have quite a bit of that today. Constantly having to remind Republicans what it is that they are suppose to stand for.

Sowal Republicans for the most part have consistently voted party line. That trend is easily seen in the breakdown of numbers. A Democrat is going to have a very hard time winning an election in this county. It can be done, but it takes some serious politricks.

I am suddenly reminded of some of my Dem friends who register as Rep to try and screw up the Rep primary Presidential candidate winner. I wonder just how many do this, and if the numbers of people registered with one party, may be really thrown off due to this behavior.

Thank you for the correction regarding Mr Imfeld's name. I always screw up his name, and I don't do it intentionally.

WaltonGOP, thanks for the pointing out the correction in your post. I thought it read a little weird, but sometimes I write a little weird too, and didn't think much about it. So the area was Dem until the late 1990's? Any idea of why the shift to the GOP occurred, and why so suddenly? Thanks also for the numbers of "other" voters compared to the Dems and Reps.

Also remember that 1998 was the first trial run of the new Florida Republican machine. I was just starting to get involved in the actual party side of things. I did work on several campaigns that round making calls and knocking doors. I was intrigued by just how strategic the whole thing was and started getting involved. The whole thing is absolutely amazing to me.

I didn't move here until 2002, and am unfamiliar with the trial run of the new Florida Rep machine, of which you mention. Care to briefly elaborate?

I didn't move here until 2002, and am unfamiliar with the trial run of the new Florida Rep machine, of which you mention. Care to briefly elaborate?

I would liken it to someone suddenly discovering the power of the computer and how to use a database to data mine.

FactsB4Fiction;
Rick Brown is currently employed by WCSO. You can call him to set up a time where you could meet him to make an "informed" decision. You just may find he is more qualified than Mr. Sconiers. I know that Mr.Sconiers is a fine and hard working honest person and dedicated to law enforcement, but I too believe he needs more law enforcement experience before he takes on this awesome task. Rick Brown has that experience and the endurance needed to handle the sheriff's job and he too is a fine, hard working honest person. Rick can be reached at (850) 974-0638. He is off Tues/Wed/Thurs and can meet with you then.His web site should be coming out next week.

I have made it a point to learn about Rick Brown. I know several individuals that have close contacts with him. I have not met him, but I am sure I will soon. Thank you for your informative post as you have provided an outlet for those of us that want to learn about a candidate.

You offer alternatives as 'new ideas', which are not. It leads me to believe you lack historical knowledge of political events. Thus you are either a fairly new resident, or a fairly newly involved individual. Nothing I say is negative, more logical than anything else. Hmmmm.....I seem to be making a deduction based upon evidence that you provide.

What? Go review your "evidence" and get back to me when you find a qualified cadidate for sheriff that will pull this county out of the dark ages. Since you have vast historical knowledge of political events, share with us your insight oh masterful political science major.

How is trying to get a group of candidates together for a debate, for a very important position such a bad idea? Maybe, just maybe, that is the problem around here. People, especially those up north, as it appears you fall into that category, do not like change. When the idea was explored (several years ago) about having South Walton break away from the county, that caused quite a stir didn't it?:angry: What would you do with out all of our tax dollars? Your opinions are old, you sound negative and you do not offer any alternative ideas. Instead of wasting your time replying to my posts with silly comments, maybe you can put your energy to work to find a way to ensure the voters get properly educated on all of the candidates. The splitting of the vote is going to get Ralph Johnson re-elected. Unless this is something you are in favor of, help the rest of us and let's get to work.

(Don't waste your typing on a cute reply, I am done conversing with you on nonsense. You fired off the first shot with your original post).

The splitting of the vote is going to get Ralph Johnson re-elected.

Absolutely true. Would not surprise me if more were 'placed' into the race to insure that this happens. An unintended consequence of eliminating the second primary. And several who have spoken of running have not even been mentioned yet.

The Watcher, maybe WaltonGOP is just pointing out that most people in Walton County, don't seem to have an interest in local politics. For example, Tuesday night, the Board of County Commissioners had four people of the public at the meeting when they were approving developments. I think that says much about the interest of the public. Try getting the public to show up at one debate would likely be a challenge, and trying to have a civil debate amongst people who have never ran for a public office might not show the candidates in their best light.

I am looking for specifics, such as; College Degree (what, where), years of Law Enforcement Experience, other professional experience, other organizational memberships or activities, any additional law enforcement accreditation or training (specialized, not standards or updated certifications). This is the information people need to know to make the best decision.

Watcher, when I say this, I am not speaking for or against any particular candidate, now or in the future. It is a pet peeve of mine when folks look for a college degree for a candidate for Sheriff. While they are nice to have, and I do have one, most of the people who have years of experience, know the people of this county, and would be an excellent leader in the office of Sheriff do not. It's important to have common sense (many folks with degrees do not ), understand budgeting and managing by being a leader, but those qualities aren't taught in school. Personality and people skills are FAR more important.

Also, realize that it has only been within the last 10 - 15 years that a employee of our Sheriff's office could request a specific shift in order to schedule college classes, and that is if you were on the road. Prior to that, all deputies rotated working days, evenings, and midnights. If you were in investigations or administration, you had a better chance BUT if a case required it, you stayed on the job instead of going to school.

Don't mean to go off on you, but this is a pet peeve of mine, and there are reasons. ;-)

This site will hopefully give you some perspective on the candidates as they emerge. You are very correct that DFS and Freeport are familiar with most of the candidates, which is part of the problem. The South Walton Vote will be a deciding factor in this election, we need to vote with knowledge, which is easier said then done.

The candidate (ex) that you refer to was Bill Imfeld, not Infinger. He had a website as he had garnered tremendous support and funding (he still has it too). He also has/had his finger on the pulse of every community in the county and he was smart enough and had a strong enough campaign to create a web site to educate the voter. HINT ALERT: Get a website, it is 2008, if you want to get elected, tell us (the voter) about your qualifications, how will you change the face of law enforcement, who are you?

A great idea would be to hold a town hall meeting or debate, maybe three; one in SoWal, one in Freeport and one in DFS (Ralph will need one in Alabama as well). Anyone think this would work?

Watcher, I spoke with my editor about the idea of a town forum with a set selection of voter questions and then maybe a debate between the last men left standing. He like the idea.
I am concerned as well about the time to do something like this as one poster mentioned prior and turnout, but it is something we might be able to put together if enough people work on it.

So, the seed has been planted and we will have to wait and continue to work on it if we want it to come to fruition.

The Watcher, maybe WaltonGOP is just pointing out that most people in Walton County, don't seem to have an interest in local politics. For example, Tuesday night, the Board of County Commissioners had four people of the public at the meeting when they were approving developments. I think that says much about the interest of the public. Try getting the public to show up at one debate would likely be a challenge, and trying to have a civil debate amongst people who have never ran for a public office might not show the candidates in their best light.

Thanks. I am certainly not trying to be negative about this. But these sort of events have been tried in the past to no avail. You hold the events, but people just do not seem to show up. Two years ago I put together a fish fry and band in the lakeyard in DeFuniak. Jeff Miller came, was able to get a lot of representation from the candidates running in the State races as well as locally. Had about 300 people come through the event that day, maybe 150 totally independent of any candidate that was making an appearance. I lot of work, a lot of fun, but not sure how effective.

Thanks. I am certainly not trying to be negative about this. But these sort of events have been tried in the past to no avail. You hold the events, but people just do not seem to show up. Two years ago I put together a fish fry and band in the lakeyard in DeFuniak. Jeff Miller came, was able to get a lot of representation from the candidates running in the State races as well as locally. Had about 300 people come through the event that day, maybe 150 totally independent of any candidate that was making an appearance. I lot of work, a lot of fun, but not sure how effective.

I really appreciate your experience on this thread. I am also concerned about turnout and public interest. All good points.


Needs more pondering......:scratch:

Absolutely true. Would not surprise me if more were 'placed' into the race to insure that this happens. An unintended consequence of eliminating the second primary. And several who have spoken of running have not even been mentioned yet.

OK, WGOP, after a brief spat, we are back on the same page. Your comment about "placed" is very good and potentially very, very true. I do not think a lot of the readers understand this part, I certainly do. Thanks for your insight.

The Watcher, maybe WaltonGOP is just pointing out that most people in Walton County, don't seem to have an interest in local politics. For example, Tuesday night, the Board of County Commissioners had four people of the public at the meeting when they were approving developments. I think that says much about the interest of the public. Try getting the public to show up at one debate would likely be a challenge, and trying to have a civil debate amongst people who have never ran for a public office might not show the candidates in their best light.

Well put. I agree, but it doesn't hurt to try...

Watcher, when I say this, I am not speaking for or against any particular candidate, now or in the future. It is a pet peeve of mine when folks look for a college degree for a candidate for Sheriff. While they are nice to have, and I do have one, most of the people who have years of experience, know the people of this county, and would be an excellent leader in the office of Sheriff do not. It's important to have common sense (many folks with degrees do not ), understand budgeting and managing by being a leader, but those qualities aren't taught in school. Personality and people skills are FAR more important.

Also, realize that it has only been within the last 10 - 15 years that a employee of our Sheriff's office could request a specific shift in order to schedule college classes, and that is if you were on the road. Prior to that, all deputies rotated working days, evenings, and midnights. If you were in investigations or administration, you had a better chance BUT if a case required it, you stayed on the job instead of going to school.

Don't mean to go off on you, but this is a pet peeve of mine, and there are reasons. ;-)

Not a problem with your response. At this point I disagree on the College Education part, although I do see your point of view. We can just disagree on that for now. With that aside, how about the other qualifications like other professional experience, extra certifications or training and years spent in the profession?

I think it is unfortunate that officers are not incentified to obtain their degrees, I do know that other departments in the state to offer classes for degree credit and really push the higher education. I would like to see this type of program implemented here. You are right that there is no exception to common sense.

Watcher, I spoke with my editor about the idea of a town forum with a set selection of voter questions and then maybe a debate between the last men left standing. He like the idea.
I am concerned as well about the time to do something like this as one poster mentioned prior and turnout, but it is something we might be able to put together if enough people work on it.

So, the seed has been planted and we will have to wait and continue to work on it if we want it to come to fruition.

Great work on moving the ball forward. I would hope the candidates would respond and make themselves available. You can count Ralph out right away, he doesn't even talk to the papers. I bet you could get Wise (don't let him do a book signing...), you could get Sconiers, you could get Rick Brown, (you'd get Imfeld if he was still running). Hey three would not be half bad. At least it would start some education process. Those that don't participate, miss out.

I have a question. I totally agree with the issue that so many people are joining in the Sheriff?s race that the vote is going to be split. I think, (and this is just my personal opinion, not meant to hurt anyone?s feelings) that the race, no matter who is running will be between Ralph Johnson, Mike Adkinson, Josh Sconiers, and Bill Imfield (when/if) they come out to run. I could be totally wrong, but that is just my feeling. How can someone that is running or planning to run drop out and support another candidate when there is no one they agree with? Like I said in a previous posting of mine, most of these candidates are running for the wrong reasons. They either want the power, the money, or the Quinn McMillian administration people back into office. I thought that the citizens were tired of that phase is the reason he was voted out and replaced by Ralph Johnson. I believe there are two candidates who are running just because they are ticked off at the current Sheriff. That is not a reason to run. Of course they will never tell you that, they would be stupid to so I guess we will never know. My two favorite people so far in this race are Josh Sconiers and Jimmy Macon. I do believe these two are/will be running with heart. Someone posted saying it doesn?t matter if a Sheriff has a college degree or not. I totally agree with you, I know, at least where I work, it seems the higher the degree, the dumber they are. I know this is not true to all people but it is just a piece of paper. Until you get out there, work the job and have hands on experience that a degree doesn?t do a bit of good. Thank you for giving me Brown?s information. I?m sure I will be seeing and hearing him when he starts getting out and talking. Watcher was asking me questions about Sconiers training, qualifications, etc. Lord willing, when he comes out, all of this will be in his campaign and he?d be happy to talk to anyone about it. I just don?t feel comfortable speaking for him about that. That?s something he wants to tell and he will when he is able to begin.

OK, now we are all getting somewhere. You post was great and I agree with you on the first half. I think you need to leave out Adkinson as there is so so much baggage there. I think everyone should be ticked off at the current sheriff. Have you ever seen such a farce of an administration? I still can't get over the two pregnant officers being fired! This is so silly. Add to that the financial woes and the additional excitement that will come, (it will be here soon) and you have a real great reason to be ticked off. How about the way the deputies and investigators have to hold their tongues, they are filled with vast knowledge of Ralph and his Captain and the goings on. It is a very sad state of affairs when officers are so job scared that they will not speak out to verify information. Now, I am aware that some do (one for sure on this post) and kudos to them for stepping up.

As I stated in a prior response, I respectfully disagree with you on the college degree. If you look at trends in law enforcement and other professional vocations, college degrees are preferred and sometime required. Go to any job listing post and you will find your options severely diminished. Is it not fair to set the bar high when we look to elect the #1 law enforcement officer in the county? Like the other post, we'll just have to disagree on this.

I respect your stance on not speaking for J. Sconiers as it relates to his qualifications. However, that does not get you off the hook, I will look for him to provide his resume so that question will be answered, fair enough?

OK, now we are all getting somewhere. You post was great and I agree with you on the first half. I think you need to leave out Adkinson as there is so so much baggage there. I think everyone should be ticked off at the current sheriff. Have you ever seen such a farce of an administration? I still can't get over the two pregnant officers being fired! This is so silly. Add to that the financial woes and the additional excitement that will come, (it will be here soon) and you have a real great reason to be ticked off. How about the way the deputies and investigators have to hold their tongues, they are filled with vast knowledge of Ralph and his Captain and the goings on. It is a very sad state of affairs when officers are so job scared that they will not speak out to verify information. Now, I am aware that some do (one for sure on this post) and kudos to them for stepping up.

As I stated in a prior response, I respectfully disagree with you on the college degree. If you look at trends in law enforcement and other professional vocations, college degrees are preferred and sometime required. Go to any job listing post and you will find your options severely diminished. Is it not fair to set the bar high when we look to elect the #1 law enforcement officer in the county? Like the other post, we'll just have to disagree on this.

I respect your stance on not speaking for J. Sconiers as it relates to his qualifications. However, that does not get you off the hook, I will look for him to provide his resume so that question will be answered, fair enough?

Fair enough