VOTE411 Voter Guide

I am running for re-election as Tompkins County Sheriff because I believe experience, professionalism, accountability, and stability matter in public safety. After serving two terms as Sheriff, I remain committed to providing the residents of Tompkins County with a Sheriff's Office that is professional, transparent, responsive, and focused on the needs of the entire community.

I am proud of the progress we have made during my tenure, including strengthening accreditation, expanding our crisis-response capabilities, improving transparency, investing in employee wellness and training, and developing innovative approaches to public safety. I am seeking another term because there is still important work to accomplish and I believe my experience and knowledge of the office position me to continue that work effectively.

I have spent my career in law enforcement and have experience in virtually every aspect of the Sheriff's Office, including patrol, investigations, administration, corrections, emergency response, personnel management, budgeting, labor relations, and community relations.

As Sheriff, I have been responsible for leading both the Law Enforcement and Corrections Divisions, managing personnel and significant public resources, developing policies, responding to major incidents, and working with our local and State partners.

These experiences have reinforced for me that effective public safety leadership requires more than sound law-enforcement practices. It requires communication, sound judgment, accountability, collaboration, and the ability to make difficult decisions under pressure.

Most importantly, I believe my experience is demonstrated by the record of the Sheriff's Office: maintaining professional standards and accreditation, implementing innovative programs such as the CARE Team, expanding transparency through our public-facing data and information initiatives, and continuing to provide effective public safety services while balancing fiscal responsibility and the needs of our employees.

The Sheriff's Office has a responsibility to address crime while recognizing that public safety is broader than simply responding to criminal activity.

One of the most significant challenges is maintaining adequate staffing and retaining highly trained law-enforcement and corrections personnel. Public safety depends upon having enough qualified people available to respond when residents need us. Recruitment, retention, training, and employee wellness will therefore remain important priorities.

Another challenge is responding appropriately to individuals experiencing behavioral health or other crises. Law enforcement is often called when someone is in crisis, even when traditional law-enforcement intervention may not be the best solution. Our CARE Team is an example of how we can expand the tools available to deputies and provide more appropriate responses when circumstances allow.

We must also continue addressing property crime, drug-related crime, impaired driving, violence, and the issues affecting communities throughout Tompkins County. At the same time, the Sheriff's Office must maintain the public's trust through transparency, accountability, professionalism, and respect for individual rights.

In the short term, I will continue concentrating on recruitment and retention, employee training and wellness, effective deployment of existing resources, and partnerships with other agencies and community organizations. I will also continue evaluating our response to behavioral-health crises and expanding alternatives to traditional law-enforcement responses when appropriate.

I will continue using data to identify crime trends and allocate resources where they are most needed. I will also continue efforts to make information about the Sheriff's Office more accessible to the public through transparency initiatives and direct communication.

Long term, I will support sustainable investments in personnel, training, corrections, and crisis-response capabilities. I would continue looking for ways to modernize the Sheriff's Office without losing sight of fundamental principles of constitutional policing and individual rights.

I also believe the Sheriff's Office must plan for the future rather than simply respond to today's problems. That means developing the next generation of law-enforcement leaders, maintaining strong relationships with municipal, county, and state partners, and regularly evaluating whether our policies and programs are actually producing the results our community needs.

Communication and transparency are essential responsibilities of an elected Sheriff. I intend to continue communicating through multiple channels, including the Sheriff's Office website, our transparency hub, social media, news media, public meetings, community events, and direct communication with residents.

I also believe communication should go in both directions. It is not enough for government to tell residents what it is doing; elected officials need to listen to the people they serve. I will continue meeting with community members, municipal officials, community organizations, and other stakeholders to hear concerns and receive feedback. I have also made it possible for community members to file a complaint with our office in various different languages.

Our Transparency Hub and other public-facing information initiatives are examples of my commitment to making information about the Sheriff's Office more accessible. I believe residents should be able to understand what their Sheriff's Office is doing, why we are doing it, and how we are measuring whether those efforts are successful.

Ultimately, my goal is to maintain an open and honest relationship with the community. People may not always agree with every decision made by the Sheriff's Office, but they should know that decisions are being made professionally, thoughtfully, lawfully, and with the best interests of the community in mind.