Research and Opinion: Sheriff scrutinizes the candidates
On Jan. 11, 2021, I will officially retire from the Sheriff’s Office after 37 years and 41 weeks of full-time service. Ever since I announced that I would not be running for re-election, I have been asked, almost daily, who I recommend for the next Kootenai County Sheriff. I don’t believe that I should tell you who to vote for, but I will share some of my thoughts and observations on the four candidates who have filed for this seat in the upcoming Primary Election.
When we teach leadership to our employees, we give them the 12 traits of great leaders. I think that a Sheriff should possess all 12, but there are five traits that are critical: Integrity, Humility, Learn Your Role and the Role of Related Positions, Engage in the Community and Generosity. Integrity and humility speak for themselves. Learning the Role is vitally important, as many of the candidates have expressed plans to change things that are not in their control, like pay structures, planning and zoning issues, etc. They may influence those who are responsible, but it is not the role, morally or legally of the Sheriff. A Sheriff must be engaged in the community and know its history. That engagement means knowing official and unofficial community leaders. Additionally it is important to have built relationships with those people over time so one can be effective. If a candidate does not know the history of a community, they are doomed to make the same mistakes of the past. Finally, generosity does not always mean money, but also means time, giving back to the community in many different ways making this area a much better place to live.
I can honestly tell you, this is NOT a retirement job. It is a job to retire from. This is a full-time position that takes a huge commitment of personal time and energy. It is a job that takes a good deal of both law enforcement and community experience.
These are my personal observations listed below, in alphabetical order by last name.
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KIM EDMONDSON: Kim Edmondson has worked for the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office since February of 1992 and currently holds the rank of Captain. Kim first worked and spent most of her career in the jail, with a very short stint in patrol and is currently in her second assignment in charge of the Investigations Division. Her current responsibilities also include overseeing the professional standards section that includes pre-employment background investigations, internal investigations and training. According to her website, she is currently and has been involved in the community for a number of years. Kim has a Master’s Degree from Gonzaga University in Organizational Management and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Kim’s strengths include her long service at the Sheriff’s Office and her knowledge of the operations, both internally and externally as it pertains to the interaction with other governmental and non-governmental entities. Her involvement in the community and time spent away from the Sheriff’s Office contributing to the community is also a strength. Her weakness is her lack of experience as a patrol deputy.
FINANCES: As of December 31, 2019:
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS: $25,335.85
TOTAL EXPENDITURES: $22,581.93
PERSONAL LOANS: $0.00
JOHN GRIMM: John is a local business man with 6 months of experience in law enforcement as a reserve deputy in Bonner County. John’s website says that he has lived in Kootenai County for 15 years. John’s lack of knowledge of law enforcement as well as his lack of knowledge of laws dealing with public administration, budgeting, etc. are a huge hurdle for him to overcome. This lack of knowledge is demonstrated with his statements about how he would use budget money to his original statement to get rid of the SWAT Team’s Bearcat until he spoke with a SWAT Team member. John was also the one who posted online videos spreading fake news regarding the response to the COVID-19 virus, which caused great anxiety in our county. A Sheriff needs to be a person who shows calm and control, not a person who incites anxiety with false statements. John’s strength is his business sense, but his weakness is his lack of experience in both law enforcement or government operations.
FINANCES: As of December 31, 2019:
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS: $51,310.00
TOTAL EXPENDITURES: $39,210.76
PERSONAL LOANS: $50,000.00
ROBERT NORRIS: Robert “Bob” Norris is retired from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. According to his website, he has a wide range of experience during his career at Los Angeles County. There has been a good deal of questions regarding his residency, homeowner’s exemption and his voting in California in November of 2016. In his responses to the Coeur d’Alene Press interview he admits that he applied for his Idaho homeowner’s exemption in early 2014, but due to personal circumstances was unable to move when he originally planned. “… the move that was supposed to happen over three to six months turned into a significantly longer process.” Idaho law requires you to occupy as your primary residence prior to April 15 to claim your homeowner’s exemption. He also admitted in that interview to voting in California in November of 2016. His reasoning was: “If you’re not registered and voting in two states, then it’s not voting fraud. Further, voter fraud is a stretch as a Republican in a deeply blue state.” The problem with that is the California statute regarding electors states: “(a) ‘Elector’ means a person who is a United States citizen 18 years of age or older and, except as specified in subdivision (b), is a resident of an election precinct in this state on or before the day of an election.” In other words, Mr. Norris had to be a resident of California to vote in California in 2016 and a resident of Idaho in order to maintain his homeowner’s exemption. Mr. Norris’ strength is his experience at Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office. His weakness is this specter of fraud, either voter or tax fraud.
FINANCES: As of December 31, 2019:
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS: $33,550.11
TOTAL EXPENDITURES: $28,223.44
PERSONAL LOANS: $40,000.00
RICHARD WHITEHEAD: Richard (Rick) Whitehead says that he has lived in Kootenai County since 2011. Rick is a proud member of the “Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers” and the Oath Keepers organization. The Constitutional Sheriffs organization uses their interpretation of the Constitution and believe that State and Federal Government are subordinate to the County Sheriff. This of course is contrary to both the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution as well as the Constitution and Laws of the State of Idaho. Oath Keepers is a for-profit organization that is described as an anti-government organization. Rick’s claim is that he will change the established training program at the Sheriff’s Office to the one that he developed, obviously personally benefiting him in the future. Many of Rick’s answers to the Coeur d’Alene Press questions were outside of the decision making authority of the Sheriff. Rick’s strength is his 30.5 years of actual law enforcement service in Texas, but his weaknesses are his affiliations with organizations who have questionable reputations and his apparent desire to benefit personally from the promotion of his programs that he currently teaches.
FINANCES: As of December 31, 2019:
TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS: $11,734.01
TOTAL EXPENDITURES: $10,201.30
PERSONAL LOANS: $1,200.00
