Elections for state offices as well as a number of county positions are scheduled for next Tuesday at the Oneida County Event Center.  Unless you have already submitted an absentee ballot, the Event Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. to cast your vote.  A few clarifications for voters: while the polls will officially close at 8 p.m., anyone who is in line by then will be allowed to vote.  Because the election is a primary election, there are several ballots, which are different based on the registration of the voter.  Most Oneida County voters, according to past trends and available data, will be voting on Republican ballots, but ballots for Democratic, Nonpartisan, Libertarian, and Constitution voters will also be available.  Anyone who has not registered yet, or needs to re-register or update their registration can do so at the polling location in the form of Election Day Registration, which can be explained by the staff on site at the Event Center.

As the last week two weeks of active campaigning culminate, activity among the candidates has increased in intensity.  Last week, a debate/discussion forum was hosted at the Victory Baptist Church, moderated by Pastor Jack Harwell and organized by Harry Sherman.  Candidates for the Sheriff position John Christophersen, Jonathan Hayes, and Doug Williams were each asked a series of questions selected from those submitted to the organizing group, and eventually responded to each of them in turn.  The questions covered some of the basic aspects of law enforcement from the sheriff’s position, such as “would you apply the laws consistently, regardless of who was in violation of them,” “how would you deal with corruption if it were discovered in public officials,” “what would you do in your position beyond administration?” and so on.  The candidates answered that series of questions in more or less the same manner, stressing that corruption in public officials should never be tolerated and should be dealt with as quickly and severely as possible, and that all laws should be applied consistently regardless of who is involved.  Each candidate had a personal story of holding friends and family to the same standard of the law they would expect themselves to be held to.

The backgrounds of each of the candidates was also presented, with Hayes representing the youngest candidate and having a background that includes teaching and work at Northrup Grumman in addition to law enforcement and work with the County GOP, Christophersen having worked with both the city and county in the capacity of law enforcement as well as career as a diesel mechanic and in the area of trucking, and Williams with an ongoing high-level role in the Sheriff’s office as well as work at Promontory Point.  Each had interesting personal reasons for becoming involved in and remaining dedicated to law enforcement.

The question about how the new sheriff would be involved in day-to-day policing is especially relevant as the department has been short-handed for a number of months, and will need the sheriff to be highly active with ongoing casework.  All three candidates stated that they would plan to be very hands-on in addition to the required administrative duties.

Other questions were more specific to the local environment, with the candidates asked about issues such as the relationship the sheriff foresaw with the Peacekeepers group and how they would respond to any attempts at “gun seizure”.  While both questions were more complicated than short answers would permit, since as a law enforcement official the sheriff is obligated to follow statutory regulations about liability and so on, the candidates expressed a willingness to and eagerness to work with local organizations in the community who were interested in aiding law enforcement.  The Peacekeepers is a citizen-led group that was formed to support the local police in the event of civil unrest.  Groups such as Neighborhood Watch and Community patrol organizations were also mentioned.

On these and many other topics raised through the series of questions the candidates expressed a lot of shared values and fundamental principles.  The differences between them were primarily expressed in terms of focus and temperament.  All three have served or are serving in law enforcement capacities in the past, with Doug Williams currently serving as the Chief of Deputies, John Christophersen having formerly served with the Sheriff’s Office and now working with the City in Code Enforcement, and Johnathon Hayes having served as a State Trooper in Idaho.  

Later in the week, the same sheriff’s candidates joined candidates for the other elected offices at Ireland Bank for a meeting of the Oneida County Deputies.  The Deputies are another organization formed to help support law enforcement in a variety of ways.  The Deputies are primarily involved with sponsoring activities, educating members about various county issues, coordinating with the sheriff, and raising funds to support the department.  Throughout the year, the group typically brings in public officials and speakers to address its members on issues of importance to the safety and policing of the city and county.  Last week, the candidates were given time to introduce themselves and present their platform positions.

Candidates for Commissioner seats Brian Jeppsen and Kirk Willie (District 3), and Bill Lewis and Drew Pettis (District 1), and Sheriff (Christophersen, Hayes, and Williams) joined the group to briefly present their candidacies.  Candidates for other positions were invited, but not in attendance.

The County Commissioner race for districts 1 and 3 involves two incumbents, Bill Lewis and Brian Jeppsen, and two challengers, Drew Pettis and Kirk Willie respectively.  Lewis focused on his goals of maintaining high quality county employees, keeping taxes low and combating drug and addiction problems.  Pettis focused on expanding meeting times and access, as well as developing county policies that were different from those of surrounding counties.  Jeppsen stressed the importance of encouraging managed growth in order to keep businesses prospering, and also maintaining vigilance against threats.  Willie also talked about the importance of monitoring growth, and working to make a county where all stakeholders were represented.  

After the candidate presentations, Sheriff Arner Jones updated the members of the Deputies about law enforcement issues in Oneida county, including some intriguing information about two cold cases that have been on the books for a number of years.  In the triple homicide case from the Holbrook area, some additional leads have opened up that are being explored by the Sheriff’s office and other agencies that may lead to additional arrests or charges.  In the much older cold case involving the kidnapping and murder of Patricia Campbell and Tina Anderson from 1981, new forensic evidence has potentially been found that may finally lead to a resolution to the longstanding mystery of who perpetrated the crimes and why.  More information will be made available as it develops.

As the campaigns draw to an end, voters are reminded that even if they do not plan to vote on any of the political candidates on the ballot, the May 21 election also includes a levy to support the library in the construction and upgrading of its facilities.  It is not necessary to vote for every position in order to submit a ballot.