Krebs for Sheriff | Letter

Published 11:01 am Tuesday, October 28, 2014

My name is Michael McElrath. I am a 911 Dispatcher with the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office.

In the election of 2010 I voted for the incumbent sheriff. I strongly believed he was the right person for the job. I could not have been more wrong. In the dispatch center we rely on clarity: clear vision, clear guidance, clear procedures, clear communication. Over the course of the last four years clarity has dissipated like vapor in the wind and communication between the man in the corner office and the rest of the department is practically non-existent.

Will Ron Krebs make a better sheriff? Why should you take a chance and vote on change? I freely admitted I backed the wrong guy last time. Why would you listen to what I say? I can only answer for myself. Ron Krebs and Sheriff Nou were invited to speak to the Sheriff’s Guild. Each was given 15 minutes to give an opening statement. Sheriff Nou read, eyes on his paper, the same statement on the home page of his web site. To us. His own people. While answering questions he was, in many cases, incomplete, evasive and dissembling. When Deputy Krebs spoke, he looked directly at us and didn’t read anything. He laid out very clearly why he wanted to be sheriff, what he wanted to accomplish, how he planned on accomplishing his vision and why he felt a change was needed.

On at least one occasion he admitted he didn’t know the answer but he articulated a clear plan to get the answer. I’m voting for Ron Krebs because of his community involvement, dedication to family and stability as a father, his record of local service, combined with an articulated vision for moving the Sheriff’s Office forward. Currently, it is paralyzed, stagnant, unable to move. Oh, sure, we have some shiny new toys: a boat, new vehicles, “upgraded” phone and radio equipment. These are just things; tools we use to bring service to the residents of San Juan County. Without communication, guidance and vision, however, these “things” are nearly useless. The (by now overused) definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I choose not to risk insanity.

Michael McElrath

San Juan Island