Fellow Democrats, and Republican friends:
Richard Nixon once told everyone "I am not a crook". You don't believe him? Just call him up, or stop by his office, and he will tell you so. Our Sheriff says there are a lot of half truths floating around out there, You don't believe it? Just call him up, he will tell you the truth. Bill Clinton, when asked whether he was alone with Monica Lewinsky answered, "It depends on how you define alone". Our Sheriff when asked whether there was a nepotism policy at the Sheriff's Office, and whether there were as an inordinate amount of relatives working there, said, "It depends on what you call a relative". When the man who was turning himself in at the Bus Stop restaurant in Osceola, decided someone was mistaken about his intentions, and began to resist arrest. The Sheriff was called in from the Courthouse as backup. He was quoted as saying, "I didn't know there was a problem". You don't call for back up when there isn't a problem. One of the Sheriff's ads stated that he had some ideas for 2009. He said this after repeatedly stating, he would make no changes at the Sheriff's Office?
Our St. Clair County Courier newspaper was telling us this spring that the Jail Revenues do not pay Commissioner's Salaries and don't really support the County. They were telling us this, because our Sheriff lost 34 Federal Inmates for 60 days, costing the county $122,400.00. We were told the inmates were removed to give the Jail Staff room to train. They received training all right, MANDATORY TRAINING from the U.S. Marshal's Service. The week before the election we were told in a front page article, the County budget looks great, Federal inmate numbers are up, PROPERTY TAXES are up. The Presiding Commissioner is no longer angry with the Sheriff for pulling an end run on him, and going to a Judge to get a ten cent raise for Jail employees. No, that ten cent raise, is now the best thing since buttered toast. I worked for the Sheriff's Office for 3 years, what I saw there would shock most decent people. I spelled it out in my campaign, I won't do it again.
Right now there are lawsuits against the Sheriff's office that will cost the County dearly. I don't know folks, but the last time I checked, "The County" is YOU the taxpayer. Some folks are saying "We don't want some guy from Kansas City to be our Sheriff", forgetting that it was Sheriff Fred Hayworth, a former Kansas City Missouri Police Officer, who got the jail put in, in the first place. Where are your local Doctors and Nurses from? Where are your Teachers from? How about your President?
If you are tired of the monkey business at the Sheriff's Office, I urge you to vote as I am going to vote. Larry Mc Crea. He has more experience than our present Sheriff, and I believe he has the integrity and maturity to do the job as well. On November 4th vote for Larry McCrea. As Barak Obama says, It's time for change. I would like to thank everyone who voted for me, Democrat and Republican. Thank You,
Sincerely,
John Williams