It appears that due to some unfortunate circumstances, none being of his making Dem. sheriff candidate and current acting sheriff Brian Meyer may face a tough road to being elected this November. Mr. Meyer who has worked his way all the way to the top from humble beginnings probably won't get his fair due or consideration. Mainly because several his cohorts at the Clark Co. sheriff's have been arrested and charged with felonies, Meyer will most likely be odd man out as the sheriff's race moves forward.
Mr Meyer seem like a fine man and certainly has the credentials and experience to be sheriff, but most likely won't have the opportunity to do so. Former sheriff Danny Rodden's sad downfall and disgrace along with Chuck Adams' alleged offer of employment to a supporter and the plea bargained deal recently that reduced Adams' felony charges , along with other arrests within the sheriff's dept. have certainly seriously hurt Meyer's chances of winning. Plus you have an Independant candidate (Mac Spainhour) who more than likely will split the Democratic vote.
The BatBlog endorses Mac Spainhour and feels that it is time for change within the C.C. sheriff's dept. but also feels Brian Meyer didn't get a fair shake on his own merits. Politics are funny that way .... John McCain probably lost the presidency because of George W. Bush and Sarah Palin....Brian Meyer can thank Rodden, Adams and company...
Brian only entered the race after the democrats needed another candidate after Chuck dropped out. He saw that he may have a shot and jumped in after stating prior that he was not going to run again. This is a perfect example of the problem with political parties, if Brian had decided to run on his own name without ties to a party, to try and make a difference and distanced himself from those around him he would not have been pulled down by what his peers did. However he decided to try and ride Danny's coat tails, not to mention he has been, and is apart of the current administration. I honestly feel no matter what he does he can't overcome the shadow he is under.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should make the Sheriff's office a nonpartisan position.
ReplyDeleteThe sad part of this is whether or not he is part of the Old Boy Network, he has been linked to them and as such, their actions have reflected directly on him. I do not know Mr Meyer personally and maybe after this he can find his own way.
ReplyDeleteMac is a good man. I would vote for him. :)
ReplyDeleteThey weren't "unfortunate circumstances" they were criminal acts felonies. I get tired of all those friends of Rodden and Adams saying well they are good people, they just made a mistake. BULL SHIT. like someone said on the CCC "a mistake is mismatching your socks" what they did were felony crimes.
ReplyDeleteGood people don't commit crimes, with their logic everyone in prison is a good person they just made a "mistake" or two.
I wish both would see a prison cell like they deserve for breaking the law, but most importantly for breaking the public's trust.
Hey Lisa good to hear from you...
ReplyDeleteHere is an idea....instead of spreading the message to your "ones" of readers about how Brian will be hurt because of actions that weren't involving him at all, how about letting your candidate win on his own merit? It's obvious what you're doing. You're trying to sound sympathetic to someone else's plight while upping your own choice. Well, I was undecided even after reading the mess of a mailer that Mac sent to my house this week. Now though your desperate attempt to prove that Mac is better than Meyer, who you say is a fine man with experience and credentials, has told me that Mac isn't good to win on his own, so if you're working for Meyer then well done. I'm voting for Brian Meyer because of you! If I see spainhour I'll tell him the bat blog is why I'm voting against him.
ReplyDeleteHere's an idea for you...
ReplyDeleteI could give a rat's ass who you vote for and why you voted for him. I merely stated the obvious and Mac will win or lose on his own merits, not on what I said.
If your simple minded enough to buy into your own simple minded theory ...you prove my point of the ignorance of voters like you
Hey, Hoosier....it's *you're.
ReplyDeleteI'm not ignorant about who I vote for! I was on the fence, and then after reading about what a good man Meyer is with experience and credentials I decided to go for him! You're right! After looking into it more he IS experienced! He seems like a great guy!
If I see Mac out I'll tell him that the Bat Blog told me that Brian Meyer would be a great Sheriff! Job well done, sir!
A blogger commenting on an election just must be a political operative? Whatever.
ReplyDeleteKeep trying, HTP. You'll get there someday!
ReplyDeleteWord on the street is Myer met with Danny to talk about Danny coming back on the payroll after the election.
ReplyDeleteThe scarier word on the street is who the GOP candidate will put on the payroll. Halloween-worthy word that one is.
ReplyDeleteLOL. Yeah, likely story. If by "word on the street" you mean "I'm totally making this up" then yes. It's the "word on the street".
ReplyDeleteSource or you're full of it.
If any of the sheriff candidates hire rodden back I will be seriously disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI received that same "mess of a mailer" and was happy to see all of the information it contained. I think it is unusual for a candidate to reveal their "plan" including their administrative staff.
ReplyDeleteWhen the other two candidates were asked who would be their second in command at the Tea Party forum, they both gave the standard answer that avoided giving an answer.
That "mess of a mailer" looks like Mac is keeping his promise of complete transparency, before he is expected to make good on that promise.
Thank you HT. :)
ReplyDeleteI also liked my mailer. When they tell you their plan it allows you to put their feet to the fire if they don't follow through. The only information I have ever gotten from Meyer is that he has 25 years of service with the department. Uh okay..... Anything else? Noel's latest flyer was a little better but still didn't have nearly the information I expected and it didn't have his choice for chief deputy either. The parts that did stick out were the ones that said he had fire and ems training as well as experience with serious law enforcement. Really? Nice to know that not only are you touting experience that isn't needed but you have put down the other two candidates. I hate when there is mud slinging and I have a tendency to shy away from candidates who publicly do so. Plus Noel has too many irons in the fire. So since that narrows my choice to Spainhour and Meyer..... I'll vote Spainhour.
ReplyDeleteMac talks about stuff that doesn't have anything to do with his job. He's a former conservation officer. That is all he knows, and that's why he talks about water rescue and things that Jeff, the State Police, Conservation, and other establishments handle. Did you see the forum where he was talking about putting officers on the drug task force and Noel told him it had been disbanded for years? He probably is a great guy but it's painfully obvious that he has no idea what is going on there. It'd be great to have a guy who knows what he's doing. Mac is not that guy.
ReplyDeleteIf you're implying about the county not needing any kind of water related resources then you're out of touch with what he was saying all together. At this point in time the only agency in law enforcement that is trained for any kind of water related incident is the conservation officers. Due to the lack of man power there needs to be others that are trained in this area. I believe he was addressing the river rescue aspect more than anything. Also let's not act like Noel or any of the others have put eachother in their place during a forum. Spainhour's answer about placing an officer on the drug task force is not an issue for me. It was in response to a question about how we can deal with drug problems in the county and he stated there would be an officer designated to the problem full time, whether that be on the drug task force or whatever else. You've got to love when a desperate camp begins picking at the smallest of things to cover their own candidates butt. Just state facts and everything will be fine.....
ReplyDeleteThe fact is that Mac Spainhour had no idea that the drug task force has been disbanded for years. You can keep trying to insinuate what he really meant but he had no idea. Great guy, not right for the sheriff.
ReplyDeleteThe Sheriff's office currently has a drug Interdiction officer. It was in the News and Tribune anwhile back. Kelly Harrod is employed by the sheriffs office under that program. What ever program you are insistent that's been discontinued has been upgraded to a newer program. I believe Mac intends to intensify that program and stated at that same forum it would be a multi agency program that he has already discussed with other department heads.
ReplyDeleteIf there is no drug interdiction officer, Is Kelly Harrod guilty of ghost employment? I don't think so.
ReplyDeletePlease tell me.. Do any of the three candidates plan to hire rodden back?
ReplyDeleteI doubt any of the three would seriously consider Rodden for any position. If they did they may have to wait until he gets out of prison...
ReplyDeleteJust curious how accurate are the polls you run in determining the actual results...
ReplyDeleteHT... Ok on Rodden question. I doubt he will see prison. People are still calling it a mistake.
ReplyDeleteIn the past the poll results have been fairly accurate in the results. This year for whatever reasons, a GOP operative has urged through communications to vote for the Republican candidates thereby skewing the results in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe BatPoll never claimed to be scientific it can be easily manipulated, it was created and done for fun as is the BatBlog itself....
And what fun it is HT! Thank you so much for the batblog. Part of my daily regimen and can't seen to go 24 hours without stopping by. It's addicting! Keep the great material coming.
ReplyDelete(and keep putting "know-it-alls" who actually know very little in their place too)
Here's my "30,000 foot view" of what I think will happen come Election Day. It'll no doubt be a CLOSE race, but just offering my "two cents" looking more at how elections work and voters think since that's what the original blog post was talking about.
ReplyDeleteNoel gets 3rd: I think being a Republican in CC will help, as the trend is in his favor with recent elections. The resources available to him/campaign spending is also probably more than Meyer + Spainhour combined. However, ability to "relate" to voters matters. Although his business ventures are impressive, he's involved in a lot of different things. If you're good at a lot, can you be great at anything? Not sure what kind of money he makes with all of these different titles, but will a regular Clark County voter favor a guy that probably makes 3-4 times more money than your average household and is seeking yet another high-paying position to boot? Blaming his opponents in the paper for the HQ thing was poor taste, in my opinion. I'm not sure voters will appreciate that. It seems to be passing the blame.
Spainhour is runner-up: You hear that he's a nice, stand-up guy, which I'm sure is true and great to hear. However, I don't know if it's exclusive to just him among these candidates. I agree, he comes across as a like-able guy. From what I heard and saw about the public forums, he didn't perform particularly well compared to the others with some answers (perhaps a result of being retired for a few years and just a little out-of-touch). He's the only one that's chosen a Chief, but not sure he brings a skill-set any different than what Mac has as they both come from the Conservation Officer background. He lost to one of these candidates in a prior election, so not sure what he's done to change that outcome this time around? The recent article about his campaign finances will be forgotten, so don't expect that to make a big difference one way or another.
Meyer wins Sheriff: Again, it's going to be very close, so let it be known this could go many different directions on 11/4. I agree that things outside of Meyer's control could hurt him slightly, although I think it'll be minimal. He was handed an absolute mess and seems to be doing well. From an election standpoint, voters historically don't like change. Holding the office of Sheriff currently affords him high-visibility and allows for showing voters what you're doing already to make the Sheriff's Department better. He certainly knows more about the position and the department based on their various career paths, but will need to further distance himself from the two guys mentioned in the original post.
Final Results:
Meyer 38%
Spainhour 33%
Noel 29%
All three of these guys have had a story of negative press in recent days, weeks, months, but none that are campaign killers and will likely all just cancel each other out. We'll see what happens! Should be fun!
It was refreshing to hear someone give a response about the Sheriff's race that wasn't bashing another candidate. I believe the information about Noel given as to why he will finish third is spot on. When it comes to Spainhour vs Meyer it will get a little more complex though I do believe. Here is what I think the possibilities are.... When it comes to Meyer winning there are several factors I think he will have to overcome or do better than what he has been. Let's start with positives....1. He has worked his career for the Sheriff's Department 2. He has experience in a leadership role 3. Fairly personable and friendly to the public 4. It's possible people think he is doing a better job with the department, now as sheriff. Now with the negatives....1. I know this is crazy but what is a positive is also a negative in working for this administration. As part of this administration he cannot truly separate himself from Danny, chuck, and all of the negative light that has been cast on the sheriffs department. 2. His position on Sellersburg town board has hurt him from eight years ago. Let's not forget he annexed a bunch if us and taxes went up for most 400+. 3. Did you seriously just have one of your newly appointed administrators blame the issues in the jail on your employees?? Bad form sir, bad form.... 4. Is a current politician in general. 5. He is the member of the Democratic Party which has been tainted all year with scandals. If it isn't one thing it's another and I think the polls will show a rise in republican power once again.
ReplyDeleteNow for Spainhour.... Starting with positives 1. He worked his entire career outside of the sheriffs department. 2. Seems to have training in a variety of areas more than the other two candidates from his flyers 3. He has been totally transparent the entire time running and I have no reason to believe that would change if elected. 4. He has made his decision on who he will appoint as chief deputy. If you have looked at his booklet you will see that even though he is from another conservation officer background he brings different skill sets, which I thought were impressive by the way. 5. He is NOT a politician. 6. He is the most like able guy in this race. His face to face people skills are second to none. I met all three candidates at the 4h fair this past summer and from my encounter believe this to be true. 7. He is an independent. I think with the amount of unsatisfaction that people have over how government is arguing whether you are republican or democrat rather than taking care of the issues will make this ticket a positive for him. 8. More law enforcement experience with any department than the other two candidates. Now for his negatives... 1. Once again what is a strength could possibly be a negative. The independent ticket has historically been hard to run on but if there has ever been a sheriffs candidate to do it I think it would be Spainhour. 2. He is NOT a politician. I know it looks funny as a negative but we all know that kissing butt in Clark County is how you get elected and Spainhour doesn't do that. 3. He has been out if law enforcement for three years. Luckily he has kept himself aware with his teaching job but I still think people will wonder about it. 4. He is a conservation officer. Most public doesn't have a clue what he did or realize the authority a conservation officer has including all police powers. I agree it is between Meyer and Spainhour but will adjust the percentages slightly into Spainhour's favor. Spainhour 36%. Meyer 34% Noel 30%. I feel like with all three candidates' flyers in front of me that I could write an entire blog myself about all of this but I'm going to leave it as this massive post instead. I look for Spainhour to pull out a victory by a nose on November fourth and "right this sheriffs department ship". Good Luck to all three candidates!
Since we are giving our % thoughts on what will happen. I have only been living in Clark County for the past four years, so maybe an outsiders opinion. It is my understanding that MAC is a Democrat at heart and that he ran Independent to make it to the general election. I have seen negative news reports on all three and I am not going to say if they were right or wrong. So in my opinion and just my opinion it think it comes down to vote stealing. Meyer and Mac both democrats will split the vote and pull a vote or two from the Republican side. The Straight Brain thinks The Republican keeps 95% of his vote and maybe even gains one or two more votes... SO the results would be Noel 50% Mac 25% Meyer 25%....
ReplyDeleteIn my heart I believe all the negativity in the press will actually make it Noel 45 Mac 40 Meyer 15.....But we will see..
There is no way that a republican, state trooper, who has thrown mud will get 50 or even 45% of the vote. He is a commander of the most ticketed stretch of interstate in the entire state I have heard. I'm not saying that as a trooper it totally defines him but the general public is not fond of the thought that the entire county will be operating like the state police. Also realize he doesn't even have the republican base he did last time. There have been a lot of disgruntled republicans jump ship on him. Don't get me wrong, huge contender, but this is going to be a close one boys!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, you are right, having only lived here four years you are not familiar with the Democratic Party that has ruled around here for decades. Mac was a Democrat as many of us were over the years but when he saw the way they were operating he decided to run on his own merit and not be a part of the corruption that he was seeing all around him it was not just to make it to the general election, you can thank the two-party system and primary election rules for that, it was for people to see him run on his own name and word, and only be held accountable to and serve the people of Clark Count, not a party
ReplyDelete