I read Sheriff Candidate Francisco Rivero”s response to candidate Rodney Mitchell”s ad in the Lake County Record-Bee on Sept. 11. I was personally disgusted by the Mitchell ad relative to his worthy opponent Rivero. Talk about dirty politics. The office is for Sheriff of Lake County, not for President of the United States. Why this war by Mitchell? He”s been there, done that. Now bow out gracefully.
The sheriff”s department”s antics for the last few years clearly project an image of a sullied department. Although the sheriff finally removed some of his obviously corrupt staff, he”s also wasted no time in placing Jeff Markham back by his side and then infers that Markham will serve as his volunteer observer of, and for the sheriff”s department?
I suppose that candidate Mitchell is trying to keep up with candidate Rivero”s idea of a Citizen”s Review Board, however effectively watered down to a non-position. With Mitchell and Markham as a team, said department will remain an entity answering to no one but Mitchell.
Mitchell”s friends did him no favors by running that foul, full-page ad. It was the work of desperate people and not worthy of a response. Still Rivero responded in a non-hateful manner and won the respect of Lake County voters in the upcoming election, including this Rivero supporter.
Bill Shields
Clearlake
