First Responders Show “Unprecedented” Support for Sheriff Nole’s Re-election;
Frank Responds

by | Jul 25, 2022 | General | 25 comments

Jefferson County’s Sheriff deputies, its captain and all its sergeants, all of the correctional staff and the firefighters have endorsed the re-election of Sheriff Joe Nole.

“I’ve never seen this much support over an election before,” says JCSO Sergeant Brandon Przygocki, who has worked in law enforcement in Jefferson County for the past 16 years. “[T]he entire department is in support of Sheriff Nole’s re-election. Every union within the JCSO unanimously voted to endorse him.” Art Frank, Nole’s opponent, a JCSO detective, did not vote on the endorsement.

We quote at length these endorsements because (1) this level of widespread, unanimous support from first responders is, as Sergeant Przygocki says, truly unprecedented in a sheriff election; (2) the letters of endorsement provide inside information not well known to the general public; and (3) Mr. Frank has provided a quite lengthy response (it is our policy to print in full and verbatim all statements sent to us in writing). The complete letters of endorsement may be read at Nole’s campaign website. 

Firefighters for Nole

Local 2032, East Jefferson Professional Firefighters, has joined law enforcement in calling for Nole’s re-election. In an open letter the firefighters stated:

For the entirety of Joe Nole’s time as Sheriff, we have experienced a professional and collaborative relationship with his officers, which is indicative of his strong relationship. He has established a culture built around serving the community he is charged to protect, and operating as an equal partner with Fire and EMS. This level of cooperation between public entities is not always common and should not be taken for granted

The Firefighters endorsed Nole in his campaign to unseat then-incumbent Sheriff Dave Stanko in 2018. “Your local firefighters feel safer with Joe Nole as Sheriff, and for the second time we are honored to strongly endorse” his re-election. This endorsement is noteworthy as Frank, while working in the Sheriff’s Department as a Detective, is a firefighter and Board Chair of the Quilcene Fire Department (Marcia Kelbon, who is running for the District 3 County Commission seat is also on the Board of the Quilcene Fire Department). Brinnon’s Fire Chief, Tim Manly, has also endorsed Nole’s re-election.

Correctional and Animal Control Staff for Nole

In their endorsement of Nole’s re-election, The Corrections, Civil and Animal Control Guild, wrote about Nole’s work on a side of law enforcement only those incarcerated or working in the jail may ever see:

[Sheriff Nole] has professionally guided the Sheriff’s Office through protests, defunding the police debates, police reform laws and unprecedented times with the Covid-19 pandemic. By its very nature, the jail was one of the most at-risk within in the County in dealing with Covid. With Sheriff Nole’s hands on leadership, we were able to not only weather the pandemic but thrive, by improving operations and equipment to better ensure safety for the staff and inmates we are charged with caring for. Sheriff Nole worked to revitalize the nearly defunct Animal Control Program by hiring a full time Animal Control Deputy. This has allowed for more time…responding to citizen animal complaints and investigating potential crimes against animals….  It has led to a successful prosecution of, and rescue of several animals from a prolific animal abuser…. Sheriff Nole understands the challenges law enforcement and the community face with substance abuse addiction and behavioral health and has been highly supportive of the Residential Treatment Program now provided to inmates. He also regularly attends Behavioral Health Court, engaging directly with and encouraging participants, and providing guidance to help make the program continuously successful.”

Deputies for Nole

The letter of endorsement from the Deputies Union stated:

Sheriff Nole has grown and repaired relationships within the community allowing for more collaborative criminal investigations….[He] has restored morale through support, communications and training. Washington State recently experienced one of the most widespread and cumbersome law enforcement reform seen in decades. Sheriff Nole was able to navigate the Department through these changes through a collaborative approach, reducing stress among our staff.  Sheriff Nole has been a quality manager and leader, always leading by example and entrusting his Command Staff to supervise, teach and train deputies to be quality law enforcement officers of this community.

Command Staff for Nole

The letter of unanimous endorsement from the JCSO Command Staff (captain and four sergeants) lauded Nole for “adding body cameras to invest in community trust” and bringing aboard a mental health navigator. The five men signing the letter relate that they have, combined, more than 100 years of law enforcement experience. They have worked under a number of sheriffs, emphasizing:

Sheriff Nole’s ability to communicate with humility and respect, regardless of rank or status, is the cornerstone of his success.

They added, as have deputies, that these qualities set Nole apart from his opponent.

 

Art Frank’s Response

Mr. Frank provided the following statement in response to the Free Press asking for comment on the first responder endorsements of Sheriff Nole’s re-election:

 

I appreciate the Free Press offering me the opportunity to comment on first responder union endorsements of my opponent in the sheriff’s race. I wish the first responder unions had offered me a fair opportunity to earn their endorsement; if they had done so, the outcome might have been different. They failed to communicate and instead made endorsements without all the facts. And then shared that endorsement with the public. That was unfair on so many levels.

Normally, before endorsing candidates in local races, unions invite both candidates to make their case, enabling members to make a fully informed endorsement.

When unions fail to give both candidates an equal opportunity to earn their endorsement, that failure can produce endorsements based on lack of information, false assumptions, rumors, misinformation, disinformation, uninformed prejudice, unreasonable fear, and/or unreflective groupthink.

That is what happened here.

None of the 3 unions representing Jefferson County Sheriff Office staff gave me an opportunity to earn their endorsement or even share my vision for the future. And I work side by side with them every day. All 3 units—command, corrections, and deputies—endorsed Joe Nole without ever inviting me to make the case for my candidacy.

As a member of the deputies’ union, I found their failure to extend that basic courtesy very puzzling and disappointing. If one of my union brothers were running for public office, I would feel bound by solidarity and fairness to give him a respectful hearing and a reasonable chance to earn our endorsement.

East Jefferson Fire & Rescue’s union was also prepared to endorse without hearing from me. However, when I requested an opportunity to address them, the union gave me far less time (15 minutes) than they gave my opponent (more than an hour). No one ever explained that disparity, though I remain grateful for the time EJFR’s union gave me.

I’ve worked shoulder to shoulder with Jefferson County first responders since 2013. I’ve witnessed the individual courage and character, sacrifice and dedication of JCSO and EJFR personnel, and they have seen mine. They are my brothers and sisters, and they have my respect.

However, even excellent individuals make mistakes when deprived of adequate information. The first responder unions endorsed my opponent based on incomplete and faulty information. They easily could have avoided that error simply by granting both candidates an equal opportunity to earn their endorsements, asking tough questions, listening critically, and weighing all available evidence to make the best decision—skills we practice every day as law enforcement officers.

These flawed endorsements are unworthy of our county’s first responders.

Good leadership makes groups greater than the sum of their parts.

Conversely, poor leadership degrades and diminishes, making a group less than the sum of its parts.

This is true specifically of the process that produced these endorsements, and it is also generally true of JCSO under the current sheriff.

My brothers in JCSO deserve a leader who will bring out the best in them, enabling us to protect and serve the public more faithfully and effectively. This is why I felt duty-bound to run for sheriff.

In the paragraphs that follow, I shall…

  1. Make the positive case for my candidacy the unions would have heard if they had given me a fair hearing

  2. Surface ethical and factual issues with their endorsement letters

  3. Detail the unions’ flawed endorsement processes

I. The Positive Case for Art for Sheriff

JCSO needs better leadership at the top, both to improve public safety and to improve working conditions for our employees.

I’m running to support JCSO staff. For the last 7 years, I have heard concerns from many colleagues about how the department is run, and how they are treated (including during contract negotiations). I am determined to respond to and resolve those concerns. As sheriff, I will advocate for the entire staff. I know that good leadership and good morale can and should go together. My mission Respond and Resolve is supported by three pillars, the second of which is an inspired, motivated, and appreciated staff: a well-trained and properly equipped team whose members are valued and motivated to support the mission.

As sheriff, I will evaluate and modify staff scheduling and assignments to meet both community needs and the needs of our deputies and their families. These alternatives will ensure officers won’t have to work weekends for years on end, and allow deputies who prefer working nights to stay on nights. This would enable deputies to diversify their work experience, for example by staying on days to focus on investigations, juvenile cases, or detective assignments. Alternative patrol schedules would enable deputies to balance work and family obligations, while ensuring proper deployment and coverage for our communities.

Effective law enforcement requires effective supervision. Currently we only have two ranks for patrol staff: deputy and sergeant.  We have 17 deputies (including detectives) and five command staff. Deputies often must wait many years for an opportunity to advance to sergeant, which can be demoralizing.

With only five command staff, our current schedules leave holes where there is no supervisor on duty 4 hours out of every day. And it can be more than 4 hours when supervisors are not on duty due to scheduled leave, illness, training, or other absences.

These daily periods of supervisor unavailability directly endanger public safety. For example, the state’s new pursuit law requires immediate supervisor authorization to initiate pursuit of a suspect, which is literally impossible when there is no supervisor on duty. Similarly, a use of force requires swift supervisory follow-up—which is often delayed when supervisors are unavailable. This supervisor follow up provides proper documentation of the incident and protects the rights and interests of the deputy and the involved citizen.

As sheriff, I will solve this problem by providing more consistent 24/7 supervisor coverage. We will do this by promoting two or more deputies to a new senior deputy or corporal rank.

This new rank will improve retention by providing new professional advancement opportunities for deputies. It will also ensure we always have at least two senior deputies gaining supervisory experience and readiness to step up to higher leadership positions.

As sheriff, I will improve JCSO’s ability to respond to threats like active shooter events. This will require tactical training and equipment for all law enforcement officers—not just a select few. As a small, rural department, we cannot continue to rely on a small, dedicated team of deputies receiving basic tactical training. We must train all officers to a competent level so every one of us can deal with whatever may confront us, because in many cases, we cannot afford to wait for backup. Vital tactical equipment priorities include modern ballistic helmets, hearing protection/communication headsets, and additional, improved body armor (rifle plates and carriers).

As sheriff, I will improve job satisfaction by refocusing JSCO on our core mission. All of us became law enforcement officers in the first place to protect and serve the public. We are all sickened to know JCSO fails to respond to and resolve some 911 calls—and we don’t even know how many because the current sheriff fails to track this data. None of us feel good about lapses in evidence collection and handling—lapses that make prosecution of suspects more difficult than it should be.

When I am sheriff, we will respond to and resolve all 911 calls, and reform our evidence collection and handling in compliance with accreditation standards of the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC).

As sheriff, I will lead the development of clear, specific job performance expectations so every deputy has a clear, measurable road map to professional growth. The current sheriff has failed us. He has failed to set clear expectations, failed to provide proper training, and failed to provide performance measures to drive individual and agency-wide improvement.

As sheriff, I will re-evaluate working conditions for our corrections officers, and work with them to improve those conditions, provide stronger support, ensure full staffing, enhance long-term job satisfaction, increase retention, and reduce turnover.

As sheriff, I will improve public relations, communicating early and often with communities in our county to hear and resolve their concerns, while building citizen support for JCSO’s efforts.

As sheriff, I will strongly advocate for better county, state and federal policies to support us in our work. I will educate the public and elected leaders on the realities of being a law enforcement officer in today’s world. In collaboration with other justice system leaders, I will ensure county leaders, state legislators, and members of Congress receive the benefit of local subject matter experts so our elected representatives enact policies that empower law enforcement to provide public safety in the best interests of our communities.

As sheriff, I will build partnerships with local school districts to improve school safety. We will work with educators, parents, and community members to develop plans for emergency response, disaster preparedness, and preventing and countering intruder events.

Despite the current sheriff’s lack of leadership, Undersheriff Pernsteiner has worked hard to keep JCSO functioning. When I chose to run, I told Andy I would invite him to remain as undersheriff, and that remains my plan. Over more than 25 years in JCSO, Andy has built strong relationships with our staff. Like me, he genuinely cares about every employee, and is determined to support them in providing excellent public safety. I am confident we can work together to provide the leadership JCSO and our communities need and deserve.

II. Ethical and Factual Issues in the Unions’ Endorsement Letters

The endorsement letters issued by all 3 JCSO bargaining units violated JCSO policy by including the names of the signatories without an appropriate disclaimer. As stated in Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Policy Manual section 1030.4.1: Unauthorized Endorsements and Advertisements, “when it can reasonably be construed that an employee, acting in his/her individual capacity or through an outside group or organization (e.g. bargaining group), is affiliated with this department, the employee shall give a specific disclaiming statement that any such speech or expression is not representative of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.”

This is a minor point, but the deputies’ union endorsement letter claimed their endorsement of Nole was unanimous, and that is technically false. I’m a member of the deputies’ union, and I haven’t endorsed Joe.

The command staff endorsement falsely equates my leadership with that of a former sheriff, Dave Stanko, citing what they experienced as a lack of communication, listening, trust, humility, respect, and inclusiveness. As Stanko’s undersheriff, I did my duty by executing the sheriff’s directives to the best of my ability in service to JCSO and the community. Without being insubordinate in that role, I could not then articulate my differences with and reservations about Stanko’s leadership. I can do so now: I thought Stanko tried to do too much too soon. I advocated at the time for him to slow down to avoid alienating deputies, and in some instances he listened. When he did not, I did my best to provide a buffer between Stanko’s expectations and the practical needs of our deputies and community.

For the last four years, I’ve worked as a deputy and detective, and my evaluations show I am a team player and “invaluable contributor” who communicates well, provides leadership, and has earned the respect of my peers. (You can review Andy Pernsteiner and Brett Anglin’s evaluations of my performance for yourself, as I’ve posted them at art4sheriff.net) When it comes to trust, my colleagues trust me to negotiate their contract, benefits, and working conditions as a shop steward for the deputies’ union.

The bottom line is that I’m running in this race as Art Frank -– not Dave Stanko. As sheriff I will lead JCSO as Art Frank -– not Dave Stanko. If you want to know how I will lead, review my evaluations, look at how I do my job every day, and review what I wrote above in section I of this document.

III. Flaws in the Unions’ Endorsement Processes

Deputies’ Union Endorsement

I regret that my own union did not invite me to address them about why I am running and my plans for the office. Nor did any of my union colleagues contact me outside of work to ask.

On June 9, Detective Allen emailed deputies’ union members the link to an anonymous Survey Monkey poll to endorse either Joe or me for sheriff. There was no union meeting called to authorize the poll or to invite candidates to address the union.

The Survey Monkey poll was open for one week. The link could be forwarded to anyone, and anyone could open the link and vote. Because it was anonymous, there was no way to track who had voted. It was possible to vote more than once. I did not participate, because I did not believe the process was fair, as I had no opportunity to address the membership.

Detective Allen’s email announcing the poll said that the results would be released once it was concluded. I never received an email or other communication with the result, though I was able to deduce it when my opponent posted the endorsement letter on his website.

Command Staff endorsement

The command staff union—comprised of four sergeants and one captain—was the first to endorse my opponent. Unfortunately, they did not invite me to speak to them first about why I am running or my vision for the future of the office, nor did any of the individual members contact me outside of work to ask.

Endorsement of Jail Staff Union

Like the other unions, the corrections staff union issued an endorsement without inviting me to address the members, and without any member ever asking me why I was running.

East Jefferson Fire and Rescue Endorsement

In June, my campaign requested an opportunity to address EJFR’s union. They gave me 15 minute to present at a meeting in mid-July. At some point before that, the union spent more than an hour with my opponent. Despite the time disparity, I remain grateful for the opportunity to make my case.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading, and thanks to the Free Press for giving me the opportunity to set the record straight. I am determined to earn your vote, and welcome your questions in any format. I can be reached through my website, art4sheriff.net

Jim Scarantino

Jim Scarantino

Jim Scarantino was the editor and founder of Port Townsend Free Press. He is happy in his new role as just a contributor writing on topics of concern to him. He spent the first 25 years of his professional life as a trial attorney, then launched an online investigative news website that broke several national stories. He is also the author of three crime novels. He resides in Jefferson County. See our “About” page for more information.

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25 Comments

  1. David Lewis

    Well there goes any hope of a fair election for sherriff, I was hoping a republican could get in there for once…

    Reply
    • Ana Wolpin

      Both Nole and Frank are Democrats. There is no Republican candidate for sheriff.

      Reply
      • David Lewis

        Oh so it’s a Shaquille slam dunk then, I see how the democrats stay in power here just run against a lesser in you’re on party…on another note just curious if that girl who stabbed her boyfriend to death in 2019 will ever be charged for murder? What about his children and family? I saw in the original statement on this case it said that her family has strong ties in the community so is that why she isn’t being charged? I’ve seen 2 guys convicted in less than 6 months for murder and they were sent away why is she going free and nothing being said about it. Why doesn’t this free press right something about that oh and the 213 million missing $$$ from jefferson county 🤔

        Reply
    • Rich Germeau

      cant risk the corruption machine from being up ended,,, opposition must be controlled,, both sides must be controlled… You live in the most corrupt state in the union,, probably one of the most corrupt counties… Election fraud and vaccine murder must continue… Too much money in it all to fix anything…

      Reply
  2. Les Walden

    I would say this falls under the old saying, “If it aint broke, don’t fix it” I stongly support Joe Nole has proved his worth. It seems he hasn’t tried to too many things at once. As my wife used to tell me “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” I might add that the Deputies don’t have to dodge bullets and know that the chances are they will go home to their family after their shift. I’m voting for Joe Nole and suggest you should too.

    Reply
  3. John DeBoer

    It sounds a little coerced.

    Reply
  4. Karen Oliver

    Art Frank is not trustworthy, nor does he have leadership skills!!!

    Reply
    • Brian S MacKenzie

      Karen, you’ve never worked with Art. Brett Anglin, Andy Pernsteiner, and Joe Nole do work with Art, and they describe him as a trustworthy man of integrity, a team player, and a valued leader. Let’s read what they wrote in Art’s performance evaluations:

      Sgt. Brett Anglin on Art in 2022: “above & beyond… continually produces more than his share of work… requires little supervision… continues to advise & provide suggestions… His involvement helps build a cohesive team that works well together through difficult cases… well exceeds my expectations… routinely prepared… quick to lend a hand or assist other team members with their cases… I can trust Art to make appropriate decisions and come up with a plausible solution for wide range of issues… Art assisted management this year in coming up with a policy and procedure for our Body Camera systems. His time as an administrator and now a union shop steward has been beneficial in this process. Art has been involved in every significant case we’ve had this year… an invaluable contributor… strong work ethic… wide range of experience… quickly complete[s] tasks. Art routinely assists me in offering suggestions or recognizing potential problems and coming up with solutions.” Sheriff Joe Nole signed this evaluation, vouching for its veracity.

      Sgt. Brett Anglin on Art in 2021: “routinely called upon to respond to crisis situations while off duty… constantly willing & eager… consistently provided advise or suggestions to me on policy and procedure issues when investigating cases. This comes from Art’s experience as an administrator and years of experience as a detective in a different agency and has undoubtedly helped the team achieve positive results…. Art has taken on extra duties this year to assist Jeffcom with a director transition. This required him to not only maintain his detective duties, but also focus on a whole other organization that was in need of leadership. Art is one of the few subordinates that can achieve success in this as he has experience in both management and fire service… At the beginning of the year, I tasked Art with two last minute duties that frankly, could have been organized much better. There was little reason, other than lack of preparation on the organizations behalf, that Art could not have been provided more time to prepare. Art took both of these duties without complaint and completed them appropriately. On one of them he received a letter of appreciation from East Jeferson [Fire & Rescue]… Art is a problem solver and understands our department’s mission and actively works with others to mitigate problems…. Art’s time in administration really shows when referencing policy and procedure. Art’s experience at developing some of our policy clearly influences his abilities as a detective in a positive way. I appreciate Art’s can-do attitude and abilities in a wide array of JCSO job functions. This experience not only assists me in my day to day tasks, but ensures a cohesive unit that functions well. In my absence, I can trust Art to make a correct call for the betterment of the community or organization.” Sheriff Joe Nole signed this evaluation, vouching for its veracity.

      Undersheriff Andy Pernsteiner on Art in 2020: “always willing to learn and assist others when needed… fit right back into patrol and has now become a great member of the detectives bureau… continues to be a steady performer and an asset to JCSO… Art is a great interviewer, with decades of experience… a great resource to draw from whilst working investigations… Art’s way of working with people should be commended… very inquisitive by nature… great investigator and takes the time to thoroughly investigate cases… well versed on computer systems… great marksman, one of the best in the department… very proactive and has some of the highest traffic numbers when he worked patrol… makes sound decisions… wealth of knowledge… Art was instrumental on forming new policy when he was a member of the command staff, he has great knowledge of the policy.” Sheriff Joe Nole signed this evaluation, vouching for its veracity.

      You can read Art’s performance evaluations for yourself at https://art4sheriff.net/performance.html

      Reply
  5. Todd Oberlander

    Isn’t Art one of the fire commissioners? Perhaps the EJFR Union knew enough to endorse Joe.

    Reply
    • Brian S MacKenzie

      Art is a fire commissioner in Quilcene. EJFR is a different fire district. There is no evidence that the EJFR union’s underinformed endorsement is anything other than a misguided expression of solidarity with the JCSO unions’ uninformed endorsements.

      Reply
  6. Rosalie Chambers

    I’m for Joe, all the way. Sorry to the other candidate, who sounds very sincere here, but there are probably reasons why you weren’t contacted by this group, or ignored by that group. We need more time with Joe Nole, who has done an excellent job for Jefferson County.

    Reply
  7. Brett Anglin

    The challenger (Art) may want to change part of the statement that i’m sure is offensive to some at the JCSO.

    “My brothers in JCSO deserve a leader who will bring out the best in them, enabling us to protect and serve the public more faithfully and effectively. This is why I felt duty-bound to run for sheriff.”

    There were women in the endorsements too, as well as those that work for JCSO. Not including our sisters is probably offensive to them.

    Reply
    • Art Frank

      You’re right, Brett: I should have written “brothers and sisters” there. I regret the error.

      Brett, you’ll want to correct your statement, too: You wrote, “There were women in the endorsements, too.” In fact, only one woman had signed one endorsement.

      This highlights a real weakness: the lack of diversity among JCSO employees. As you know, we have zero women on command staff, zero women deputies, and just two women in the uniformed support services union–one of whom declined to endorse my opponent. (In deference to her, the Free Press should correct its false assertion that “all of the correctional staff” endorsed Joe.)

      Racial and cultural diversity is also limited among JCSO employees.

      As sheriff, I’ll prioritize recruiting for excellence and diversity. I’ll also ensure retention of diverse employees by building a welcoming, inclusive, equitable, accountable workplace culture at JCSO.

      Reply
  8. Shane Stevenson

    People tend to remember the leadership over them. If a leader lacks the support of their subordinates, it would behoove that person to take action helping to understand how they failed their subordinates, and to make every effort to improve on their leadership abilities. I see none of that here. Instead I see a laundry list of excuses, recycled and repeated. i.e. they didn’t come to me, it’s Stanko’s fault, if they’d just let me explain, etc… There is a fantastic book called ‘Extreme Ownership’ written by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. It points out that truly effective leaders take responsibility for not just their own shortcomings, but also those of the team, and never pass the blame.

    “Implementing Extreme Ownership requires checking your ego and operating with a high degree of humility. Admitting mistakes, taking ownership -“.

    I’m curious about the promises I see being made regarding training, overtime, promotions, changing work schedules. Yet no explanation of how those promises can be accomplished. As I understand it, many other elements are in play there. Contract negotiations, the civil service commission, the county commissioners, etc. Where does the money come from?

    Reply
    • Brian S MacKenzie

      Shane, are you ready to model Extreme Ownership by admitting your union’s mistake and asking your union to rescind its uninformed endorsement of Joe, give both candidates a fair hearing, & then issue an informed endorsement? It sounds like your union endorsed even though you–and perhaps others–have old unanswered questions about Art’s tenure as undersheriff, and now new questions about Art’s plans as sheriff. The obvious Extreme Ownership solution would be for you to have the courage and humility to remedy those intelligence failures by asking Art those questions & weighing his answers–instead of complaining that he failed to read your mind and answer questions you never bothered to ask.

      Reply
  9. Les Walden

    Having worked shift work for a lot of years I would think that the Deputies would be very happy that one of them prefers graveyard. I know I hated it because I couldn’t sleep well through it. To me that”s a plus for Joe and his Deputies. It has been proven that shift work is not good the body and there’s more divorce and sickness as the body is having to constantly change it’s routines. Art gave a poor example there.

    Reply
    • Brian S MacKenzie

      Actually, Les, you appear to agree with Art here. Art is advocating reforming JCSO scheduling so deputies can have more stable shifts, instead of the current sheriff’s mandatory shift rotations that disrupt family life.

      Reply
      • Les Walden

        Brian, You”re right. My errror. Les

        Reply
  10. Jim Scarantino

    From Sheriff Joe Nole (posted on our FB page): “Out of respect for my endorsers I too would like to set the record straight. These intelligent and professional men and women are not misled or misguided. Nor did they “make a mistake.” They have worked with my opponent for the past nine years, both as a peer and as 2nd in command of the Sheriff’s Office, just as he stated. They have experienced first hand what he has to offer. They are very well informed. More so than most. I thank them for their courage in standing up for the citizens of Jefferson County and offering me their ‘unprecedented support.'”

    Reply
    • Brian S MacKenzie

      Making political endorsements without bothering to gather basic information is a serious civic failure. When the recipient of such tainted endorsements defends their value, that’s understandable, but not persuasive. Employees endorsing their boss for reelection could mean many different things, but it certainly doesn’t show courage. Art is showing real courage by running against his boss. It’s a shame that others in JCSO know what’s wrong, but lack the courage publicly to endorse the only candidate with the ideas, experience, and ability to improve their working conditions while more effectively addressing our county’s most pressing public safety needs.

      Reply
  11. Jim

    Unions, especially Big Stupid Greedy Government unions, are the money-laundering division of the democRat Party in my opinion and the sand in the gears of civilization. I will NEVER blindly follow a union endorsement and will continue to cross picket lines for fun. Since this is a ‘Rat-on-‘Rat race, looks like I’ll abstain or write-in a normal American.

    Reply
    • Saltherring

      Jim, you echoed my opinion of government unions, which should be illegal. Back in 2005, (Queen) Christine Gregoire, after conspiring with King County Elections to steal the Washington State Governor’s election from Republican Dino Rossi, forced state workers to begin paying dues to state employee unions, which had previously been optional. These same unions then fed a significant portion of this windfall back into the state Democrat Party campaign machine. This is corruption in its purist form, although the Democrat media’s sock puppets apparently saw nothing wrong with it. I also refuse to vote for public employee union-endorsed candidates for elected office.

      Reply
      • Jim

        Saltherring, I remember that and many other similar instances – that’s exactly what I meant by “the money-laundering division of the democRat Party” because it just serves as a slushfund for both sides of the “negotiations” in which the truly-interested party on the hook for ALL of the funding (taxpayers) receives ZERO consideration or representation.

        Sooner or later, there will be a massive revolt. Violent or not (there are many creative ways to undermine an opponent), it will bring this whole mess crashing down once enough people get mad and/or desperate enough to do something about the current state of affairs, which will NOT change one iota otherwise, because the parties at the table have no interest in changing anything, morally or financially. At a minimum, everybody should be depriving the Big Stupid Greedy Government tumor of as much revenue as possible, in any little way they can, to starve the beast at least a bit.

        Reply
  12. Richard Germeau

    I would say that the cops of this entire country have made a good case to disband the entire show after their facilitation of unconstitutional COVID mandates and election fraud… None of it could have happened without the threat of their force… Clearly all of them have taken the COVID hazard pay as payment for their help in these matters… Honestly who would consider voting for anyone who was dumb enough to self purge with the vaccines/death injections.. Honestly these people are not of sound mind… COVID and Election fraud have exposed a corrupt judicial system and corrupt corporate government… COVID and Election fraud has exposed that the Cops of this country are nothing more than enforcers for the criminal MAFIA we call a government which is not even dully elected or legally elected… Bunch of tyrants who have a short time left in any short of position of power or control… I would not like to be any of these people holding the empty bag once the people know the truth,, which they are gonna very soon…

    Reply
    • Rich Germeau

      The sickest thing is that the cops,, medics, fire fighters, pharmacists,, doctors and nurses are fully aware of all the death and injuries caused by the vaccines but they keep their mouths shut,, they see it with their own eyes but keep their mouth shut… This is the biggest crime against humanity ever… The reason why none of these people are talking about it,, telling the public of what is really happening is because of the money… These people have proven that they are a threat to our very well being,, they have bad judgement, are not honest and are greedy… In our local community people are dying and suffering every day because of these vaccines and nobody is telling the truth,,, they are still pushing these vaccines on the people even though they are aware how deadly they are…

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