I'm appalled by the unbridled arrogance of our "Lame Duck Sheriff." As if insulting the intelligence of many Franklin County voters was not enough (by his rude comment that we must have "drank the Kool-Aid" after losing to Pat Melton in a fair competition), Mr. Clark insists on chewing his sour grapes by his off-handed comments and this endorsement. (Some say that it is merely an underhanded tactic to keep an ineffective official in office by being named as Mr. Napier's Chief Deputy.)

Mr. Clark's ad in The State Journal on the Sunday before our May primary said, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." Well, one of Mr. Clark's many mistakes was to eliminate virtually all neighborhood patrols which left our county neighborhoods almost defenseless.

We pay our Sheriff for more than just collecting taxes and serving papers as he stated in the debate. One debate question was about the loss of neighborhood patrols in Ducker's Village. Mr. Clark stated that it was not true, that patrols in the Ducker's Village neighborhood have actually increased since he took office. My wife and I sit stunned, in disbelief, listening to his false answer. When we have called for assistance, we are sometimes told that deputies are not available, to instead call the state police.

Yet another very unwise decision by Mr. Clark was when he dismissed his lead detective from the Sheriff's Office soon after taking over as Sheriff in 2006. Since that dismissal, the local drug trade has accelerated. And who was this experienced and highly effective Detective/Deputy that was busting drug dealers and their side effect burglary rings at an precedented rate? None other than the man that stands in Mr. Clark's way of continuing his ineffective force; Mr. Pat Melton.

Pat Melton takes a very strong stance against the illegal drug trade that is the scourge of our community. Mr. Clark's position was that fighting drugs was too low of a priority considering the department's scarce funding. When (then) Deputy Melton continued to urge Clark to continue investigative efforts to prosecute drug dealers, the Sheriff terminated the best Deputy on his force. Now I ask you, was that a wise move on Mr. Clark's point? I say not. I believe that Steve Clark is a good man, just not an effective sheriff.

In 10 or 15 years Mr. Napier might have enough experience to effectively lead a law enforcement agency, but not now. I hope Mr. Napier continues to gather much needed experience serving our community on the Frankfort Police Department. In 2022 or 2026, he should have the experience he needs to take on the task for which he strives.

Yes, as is Mr. Napier, I am a registered Republican. But in good conscience, I MUST vote for the person that I believe will do the best job. For the benefit of all Franklin County residents, that person will be Sheriff Pat Melton.

Jeffrey W. Smith