Bower, not Drennan, has won respect of majority of Sheriff’s Department employees

Editor:

As an individual who is about to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Administration, I must say that, in none of my coursework was it advocated to publicly demean one’s subordinates, as Steve Smith did in his letter to the editor in support of Tom Drennan, that appeared on the Orleans Hub on Sept. 5.

While Mr. Smith is a decent man, his letter serves as a misguided form of campaign rhetoric at the expense of the hard-working employees of the Sheriff’s Department. In the letter he attempts to paint the picture that Drennan’s subordinates are afraid to be held accountable and reluctant to do their jobs.

If we are to believe that this is true, then why should Drennan, who is currently their supervisor, be promoted? Has he been serving in this supervisory role while his subordinates fail to respond under his leadership for 12 years? If this is the case then it would be reasonable to believe that, contrary to Mr. Smith’s claims, Drennan does not have the leadership skills to adequately prepare him to be sheriff.

It is also convenient, easy, and ignorant to just brush off any criticism of Drennan by employees past and present, by labeling them as “disgruntled.” Clearly there must be a disconnect somewhere between the current management and both unions, which overwhelmingly support Randy Bower.

Are we to believe that all these Sheriff’s Department employees are disgruntled or is it because they don’t share the same opinion as Mr. Smith? Perhaps Mr. Smith himself is disgruntled. Perhaps the men and women (who work with both Drennan and Bower) just simply prefer Bower because they care about the department and trust Bower in leading it into the future.

You would not promote a coach who has lost the attention of his players, so why would you elect an individual who has lost the respect of his subordinates? Letters like Mr. Smith’s only serve to further drive a wedge between management and the employees.

Positive change is so desperately needed in the Sheriff’s Department and that is the reason why the employees by and large endorse Randy Bower for sheriff. Search “Randy Bower for Sheriff” on Facebook to learn more about what is possible if you vote for Randy Bower in the Republican Primary on Sept. 10.

Chris Caufield
Holley