Vote for Nou | Letter
Published 3:59 pm Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Another election cycle is in full chat. Another group of candidates has had their chance to talk with the people at the candidate forums, concluded just last week, and now we will decide who will be representing all of us for the next few years.
One race held my interest me last cycle and it continues to interest today. That is the race for sheriff. I’ve known Sheriff Nou since he came to San Juan County. I’ve worked beside him on Lopez until he became sheriff. I then shifted to working with him at his direction as sheriff.
I’ve also worked beside many of my former partners on Orcas and San Juan during training and on cases which spanned two (or at times more) islands. I’ve had what I consider a good relationship with all.
I am, however, disheartened with what seems to be the reoccurrence of a virus which I believe came from some problem between the then Sheriff Cumming and a deputy who seemed to be at odds with almost everything Cumming did or said.
The animus was at times hard to avoid, and I took care to know why it might be and how to recognize it. I worked at keeping my perspective centered and keeping a watch on what I believed could be a real problem for the Sheriff’s Department overall.
Since the new election cycle began I’ve again recognized the same animus but it is now more venomous and many more people are involved. When I heard that a large percentage of the Deputy Sheriff’s Guild had voted to endorse a challenger I was astounded!
I know this must have had its beginnings in that one person. That person of course, has the right to speak their mind and beliefs.
Deputy Krebs is a good man and a competent hard working deputy. He works hard and is a fair man. He states he has administrative experience but not in law enforcement. He has experience as a deputy but only eight years.
Sheriff Nou gained his experience in two other agencies before coming to San Juan County, both in Oregon. He rose to the rank of sergeant in Yamhill County learning supervisory skills. He then gained administrative skills in Burns, Ore., as the Chief of the Burns Police Department. He has credentials from the FBI Law Enforcement Academy. He is the right man for the job of sheriff of San Juan County.
James Tyrrell
Lopez
