Voters in Callahan County will have a choice between two sheriff candidates in the November general election, neither of whom was on the ballot when the campaign season began this year.
In a rare procedure to name a candidate after a primary election, a committee within the Callahan County Republican Party nominated Eric Pechacek for sheriff Aug. 4. In the general election, he will face Phillip Rodriguez, who filed as a write-in candidate later in the month.
The winner will succeed Sheriff Terry Joy, who intends to retire at the end of the year.
The unusual situation was a consequence of two previous candidates dropping out of the race after facing scandal, both due to allegations that they had exaggerated their military histories while on the campaign trail.
More: Clyde police officer, sheriff's candidate Foley resigns; opponent Jowers faces scrutiny
More: Callahan County sheriff election takes new turn as second candidate plans to drop out
On Feb. 10, Leroy Foley dropped out of the race and resigned his position as an Clyde Police Department investigator. His opponent in the race, Rick Jowers, followed suit 10 days later, quitting the race and his position as chief deputy in the sheriff's department.
Both remained on the ballot in the March 3 election, however, with Jowers receiving 939 of 1,210 votes cast. But with neither candidate still in the race, responsibility for naming a new nominee fell to party leaders in the county.
A long process
Assembled as the Callahan County Executive Committee, seven precinct chairpersons interviewed and vetted candidates, ultimately voting on who would be the party's nominee. The committee was led by Callahan County Republican Party chairwoman Kathleen Tippy, although she did not have voting power except in the case of a tie.
"None of us wanted to do this this way," Tippy said, "but the the secretary of state outlines the process for how we have to do this."
"If the County Executive Committee refuses to select a candidate, then the state executive committee selects a candidate. We certainly don't want that to happen — we don't want people who don't even know your county."
Assembling the committee took several weeks, said Tippy, and the process faced pandemic-related delays.
More: Callahan County sheriff's race uncertain after contender drops out
More: Big Country elections: Winner of Callahan County sheriff's race won't be taking the job
Tippy, who was unopposed in the March 3 election for party chairperson, originally was scheduled to take the position in June, but because of COVID-19 that date was pushed back to August. However, her predecessor, Angela Campbell, stepped aside early so that she could begin working early.
For Tippy, the job of party chairperson ended up being much bigger than she'd anticipated.
"This was a tedious process," Tippy said. "When I ran for this office I just wanted to get Trump reelected."
According to Tippy, about a dozen people expressed interest in being the party's nominee, although several of those did not follow up in any way. The committee vetted seven candidates, eventually interviewing four of them, including Rodriguez, before deciding on Pechacek as the nominee.
Pechacek: Fighting 'tooth and nail'
Pechacek, who was born in Abilene but grew up in Clyde, has been involved in law enforcement since 1989, when he started working for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in Palestine, southeast of Dallas.
Eventually promoted to captain, he moved in 2002 from corrections to the state police under the Texas Department of Public Safety, where he remained until retiring in 2018.
According to Pechacek, when the sheriff position fell into question, he began receiving public pressure to apply for the job.
"A great deal of people around Abilene and Baird asked me if I'd put in for it," he said.
As sheriff, Pechacek said one of his top priorities would be getting more manpower, as well as an improved pay scale.
"If I can get three or four more deputies to double up on patrols out in the county, I think that will help out the county considerably," Pechacek said. Currently, he said, the county has only five full-time deputies to cover 900 square miles.
"I think I'm the one that's going to fight the county commissioners tooth and nail for what our county needs," he said.
His other main priorities include a full-time school resource officer in Eula, as well as an increase in the number active-shooter classes, he said, but lamented that a replacement for the county's 122-year-old jail is probably not on the table.
"I'm afraid we've missed the bubble on getting a new jail for Callahan County," Pechacek said, estimating that such a project would take $8-12 million.
If elected, he also promises that his constituents will see him hard at work.
"I will be out in the county patrolling alongside whatever deputies are out there."
Rodriguez: Getting a 'fair shake'
Rodriguez, a Baird native, also has a long career in public safety and law enforcement, starting at the Baird Fire Department in 1982, leading to his appointment as Callahan County fire marshal in 1984.
He receive peace officer certification in 1990, and worked in the sheriff's offices for both Mitchell and Callahan counties.
In 1995, he began working for the Wise County jail system, and eventually became the chief of police in Runaway Bay, where he served until 2006, when he became the public safety director of Wise Regional Hospital Districts.
He retired in 2016, and moved back to Clyde about a year ago to be closer to family.
"I wore a lot of hats in each place I was," Rodriguez said.
According to Rodriguez, it had been his intent to run for sheriff in a few years, but people encouraged him to move up those plans in light of the controversy surrounding the election. And although he too is a Republican, when the committee made its nomination, he said he was asked by residents to offer an alternative.
"They felt like they weren't getting a fair shake," Rodriguez said. "That they should be able to have a say so, also, instead of seven people deciding who the next sheriff would be."
If elected, his top priorities would include addressing drug and human trafficking, which he said is an increasing issue along the Interstate 20 and State Highway 36 in the county, with hopes of forming a multi-county task force to combat the problem.
"I lie awake at night thinking about how many children or women are being driven our county against their will," Rodriguez said.
He said he also wants to address what he sees as a growing lack of trust in law enforcement, with a focus on community policing.
"That's one of the most important things that I feel any peace officer can do, especially an administrator, is make the public aware of things that are going on out there."
In regards to the issue with the jail, Rodriguez agreed the facility is in need of improvement, but emphasized he views tax increases as a last resort.
"The very last thing I want to do is propose a plan that would cause a tax burden on the residents of Callahan County," Rodriguez said.
Offering support for both
Joy, who will turn 80 in December, said he looks forward to turning over the reins Jan. 1, but isn't going to pick favorites in the current election.
"I'm going to stay neutral as much as I can," Joy said. "Honestly, I like both of them."
Joy cautioned, however, that the winner will be facing a lot of challenge and responsibility, with demands from residents and at what he called the oldest working jail in the state.
"Whoever gets it I feel sorry for 'em," said Joy. "They're going to get my full, 100 percent support, because they're going to need a lot of prayers."
"original" - Google News
September 13, 2020 at 05:12PM
https://ift.tt/3kecz8i
New candidates for Callahan County sheriff face off after original contenders resign - Abilene Reporter-News
"original" - Google News
https://ift.tt/32ik0C4
https://ift.tt/35ryK4M
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "New candidates for Callahan County sheriff face off after original contenders resign - Abilene Reporter-News"
Post a Comment