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This is a political advertisement paid for and approved by Sandra Downs (NPA) for Sheriff. |
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SANDRA'S QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE THE MAKING OF A SHERIFF |
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The experience is how you've lived your life, what you have stood for. It is not the hours sitting behind a desk secluded from the problems of the citizens that gives you experience. It is not the educational achievements in college that earn you common sense and street smarts. It's not the awards you've received by "posturing" on "boards" of agencies. It is not the hours spent wining and dining for a political appointment, a pay raise, a rank elevation. This person portrayed herein is integrated into their society only; a safe haven devoid of realism of what most people face every day. This type of experience does nothing but guarantee this individual is out of touch with the common ordinary people, sheltered from the realities of normal lives. This type of experience does not earn the trust of the common folks. This person can no more understand the hardships of ordinary citizens, than a man can understand a woman's "labor pains" during birth.
"Experience" is the hours you've spent walking and talking with the youth, the criminals, the drug users, the mentally ill. You cannot deal with these problems if you have no understanding of them. Your experience is how many hours have you spent listening to the problems of the citizens who want to be safe but not intruded on, how many hours you've spent talking to inmates inside the jail so you know what they need for rehabilitation back to society, how many hours spent with the youth to understand the peer pressure and the problems they face, how many hours spent talking to the poor, the minorities in order to understand their frustration and anger. I've spent my life doing this without exception, all 49 years of it for as long as I or anyone who knows me can remember. The Sheriff has to have a 6th sense and exercise utmost discretion when it comes to who he/she names as Department Heads. The success of the Sheriff's office depends to a great degree on whom is put at the top of the divisions, the road patrol, jails, internal affairs, records, etc.,..each and every position! The Sheriff has to be sure the morals start at the top and extend throughout the entire Sheriff's Office spilling onto the streets and making a difference.
The Sheriff has to be able to maintain the trust and confidence of the citizens that report crimes, and cooperate with them in efforts to keep the community safe. The Sheriff has to ensure no one is retaliated against. The Sheriff has to make sure the deputies are not abusive or using drugs. The Sheriff has to ensure action is taken if one of his team does not meet the demands of their job, whether it's in making records available to the public, or looking after inmates health and safety. The Sheriff ensures they hire the best in all fields to ensure they meet and exceed expectations. The Sheriff's Office employs accountants, lawyers, training personnel for the deputies, records clerks, mechanics, pilots for the helicopter, corrections officers, computer experts, weapons personnel, property clerks, etc. The Sheriff most times is none of the above! 50% of the Sheriffs in Florida have no law enforcement experience. I would ask you, if the Sheriff is not a weapons expert does this make him/her ineffective? What if the Sheriff is not a pilot? What if the Sheriff has not been a corrections officer, is he/she then unqualified? The Sheriff's character is the only qualification that needs to
be considered because without that, the entire Department goes
wayward. That is why the character of Bob Peryam was put in light to
the public. That is why
Character is the most important issue in the race. The Sheriff takes $44,000,000.00 of the taxpayers money and decides what to do with it. I am telling you what I'll do with it, and I am also telling you I don't need that much of your money. The special favors and positions I will cut out. Find another candidate that will promise you that. Look at their contributors. That is who they will owe favors to if elected. It is no different in this local election than it is in U.S. presidential races. Do you really think the gun lobbyists contribute expecting nothing? How about the pharmaceutical companies? Insurance companies? Telecommunications? Peryam has already logged in maximum contributions from all those at the top of MCSO making the fat salaries and overtime that want job guarantees. They want to keep their control, their positions on boards governing monies and ranks, etc. My promise is, I will bring back the integrity in this important job. No one's job in the Department will be "safe" if they have no integrity. I promise I will be aware at all times that I am a "public servant." I will serve the citizens instead of special interests. I will enforce our laws and uphold our rights. We'll all play by the same rules. |
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The Sheriff is a manger. He/she has to have utmost integrity, be
always just and fair, consistent, command his hirees, oversee an
organization that has to stay diverse, talented, and thoughtful. The
Sheriff must not award positions or ranks based on favoritism or
blackmail. The Sheriff has to be above suspicion in character. The
character of the Sheriff is the "experience" that he/she has spent a
lifetime building.
the Citizen repeatedly questioned Phil Mandina's character.