Naked Conch: Guest Post: Questionable Campaign Tactics In Sheriff's Race

Should deputies of Monroe County Sheriff’s department wearing their uniforms and on duty… be campaigning for their candidate with citizens of Monroe County?

- Naked Conch - Posted by Kay Thacker - July 13, 2012

An officer was overheard discussing their candidate while on duty, in his uniform at a
local business. Putting up campaign signs with permission of property owners, I was
personally contacted by business owner to come and remove the sign because an
officer of the MCSO had requested the owner to have it removed.

Is the Sheriff giving privileged and preferential treatment to his choice candidate
over the other officers in this race? Is there a requirement existing by the Sheriff in
order to keep your job, to get promotions, the officers have to depend on” loyalty to
the leadership” instead of educational requirements, work performance and ethics as
indicated in the Key West Citizen article of July 1, 2012? What do you think of hiring
Vince Weiner, the controversial FDLD agent to protect his retirement benefits? (KW Cit.
05/26/2012) Ramsay said. "He has a lot to offer and the Monroe County sheriff's road
patrol will definitely benefit from it”. Is this how you want your tax money spent? How
many of the Sheriff candidates own a private car? Can officers use county owned cars
after off duty?

I understand these officers are placed between a rock and a hard place; and it is
politics; they will obey to instructions in order to keep their jobs and livelihood during
this race Didn’t one of our former BOCC members have a problem with using her staff
during her campaign?… Is that behavior illegal for the Sheriff’s office too?

Are these some of the questions we need to ask our candidates before we vote? The
same article I read on 7-1-2012 is starting to sound like we need to pay close attention
like we did with Dixie Spehar, Sonny McCoy, Mario DiGennaro and Tom Willi? With our
votes… the ousting of these candidates helped cleanse Monroe County of some of the
problems. Does “bubba system” or “gang of three” come to mind? Do we want to see
history repeated in 2012?

Kay Thacker, Key Largo