Thread: HELP NC elect a county sheriff: VOTE in this Poll

Chipp Bailey
625 votes (78%)
Nick Mackey
83 votes (10%)
Warren Turner
96 votes (12%)

Poll | Which candidate for sheriff do you prefer?

Chipp Bailey
656 votes (78%)
Nick Mackey
88 votes (10%)
Warren Turner
100 votes (12%)


844 people have voted so far
Your vote was Chipp Bailey on 12/5/2007 11:11 pm

Poll results as of 8:00 am ET:

Poll | Which candidate for sheriff do you prefer?

Chipp Bailey
753 votes (79%)
Nick Mackey
92 votes (10%)
Warren Turner
109 votes (11%)

954 people have voted so far

EDITORIALS
Bailey for sheriff
Democrats should put public interest ahead of politics

Warren Turner, who announced his candidacy for Mecklenburg County sheriff Tuesday, is an able, independent-minded Charlotte City Council member. But his entry into the race to replace Sheriff Jim Pendergraph does not alter the fact that there's only one candidate who has the experience and proven ability needed for the job: Chipp Bailey, the department's chief deputy since 1994.

Mr. Pendergraph, sheriff since 1994, left office Dec. 1 to take a job with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Because he was elected in 2006 as a Democrat, state law provides that the remaining three years of his term be served by a new sheriff picked by the 300-plus political activists on the county Democratic executive committee. It would be better if the law allowed appointment of an interim sheriff to serve until the next countywide election in 2008, then let the county's 400,000-plus voters pick a sheriff to serve the term's final two years.

In Mecklenburg, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department is the chief law enforcement agency. The office of sheriff is a complex managerial job, involving a $104 million annual budget and supervision of some 1,400 employees who run the jails, provide courthouse security and serve a variety of legal papers.

The job requires a good manager. Mr. Bailey has proven to be one in 14 years as chief deputy. Mr. Turner has no managerial experience at that level. The other candidate, Nick Mackey, may have worked past earlier problems, as his supporters contend, but here's his record:

• In 2003 he resigned from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department before facing a disciplinary hearing, and the police chief says he wouldn't hire him again. A police spokesman at the time said he had been suspended without pay after being referred for termination.

• In 2005 Mr. Mackey filed for bankruptcy. He also had a federal lien put on his house because he owed taxes, penalties and interest to the Internal Revenue Service.

• In 2006 he ran for District Court judge and finished fourth in a four-person field.

Mr. Turner does not have Mr. Mackey's drawbacks, but neither does he have Mr. Bailey's experience and proven ability as a manager.

The Democratic executive committee has a choice. It may treat the selection of a sheriff as a plum to be awarded to meet a political agenda. Or it may treat the selection as a public trust to be exercised in the best interest of all the citizens of Mecklenburg County.

The county would be well served by the choice of Chipp Bailey. He's experienced and capable, and he has been endorsed by the man who knows the job best: ex-Sheriff Pendergraph.
http://www.charlotte.com/opinion/story/393359.html

Poll | Which candidate for sheriff do you prefer?

Chipp Bailey
2089 votes (82%)
Nick Mackey
231 votes (9%)
Warren Turner
214 votes (8%)


2534 people have voted so far


Thanks for telling us WHO to vote for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chipp Bailey
2090 votes (82%)

Nick Mackey
232 votes (9%)

Warren Turner
214 votes (8%)


2536 people have voted so far

Poll | Which candidate for sheriff do you prefer?

Chipp Bailey
2091 votes (82%)
Nick Mackey
232 votes (9%)
Warren Turner
214 votes (8%)


2537 people have voted so far

Your vote was Chipp Bailey on 12/7/2007 12:04 am