Well I promise I have not been drinking Kool-Aid tonight and I will try to keep this on a high plane. I will try to refrain from waiving my arms in the air and jumping up and down.
Ralph in simple terms "does not play well with others". I know that he says he is fighting against crime and 'the good 'ole boy" network that he replaced. One must only read the public record of his dealings with the other elected officials in Walton County and other surronding counties. He seems incapable of accepting that he was elected to serve as more than a foot soldier. His position carries with it duties that deal with budgets ( how has that one been pleaseing everyone), human resources ( we are the talk of the area with his stand on "light duty" for female officers), he abandoned the operation of the jail ( I think that move save the taxpayers of Walton County almost a million dollars the first year), he limited the raises to the officers he so strongly supports by limiting their raises to 3% for two years running, caused many of them to have to refile their 1040's due to "mistakes by the software" he purchased, could have given his officers a raise during last year but chose to "hoard the money" and build a "race track", tried to tarnish the names of many officials by saying the whole issue was drive by "politics", the actions of incompetent employees that he hired, blamed his ongoing accounting issues on "the actions of the auditor."
Not once has this man planted his feet firmly on the ground looked the public in the eyes and said "the buck stops here". I carry the ultimate responsibility for my actions and the actions of those around me.
The man has some sort of problem with accountability. He will not accept that he is held accountable to the citizens of Walton County. He hides behind an attorney, PIO officers, and any other body that he can "throw under the bus".
He will have to face a very determined public in the primary. I believe that they will show him the door when he faces "real candidates" not plants, with experience, proven track records of management ability, simple people skills, and budget and fiscal due dilligence ability.
I look forward to placing the "RIP - Ralphie" banner across the extit road that he takes headed to Tennessee.
We need a person "We Are Proud To Call Sheriff" (not cookin' sheriff).
Now I will have some Kool-Aid