May 13, 2016
To the Editor:
Why I believe Dave Kramer is our best choice for
Sheriff.
Some of you may remember my run for Sheriff in
2012. I had no law enforcement experience, I had
only been here for 2 years, and I ran as an
independent, pretty much three strikes. Given
that, I still earned nearly 1500 votes. Based on
that, I believe our county is searching for an
alternative to our incumbent.
Greg Sprungl has been Sheriff for numerous
terms. Those who know Greg personally or have
had casual contact with him know he is a nice
guy, as I do.
· If you are aware of the issues and liabilities
our county has regarding the outdated and poorly
maintained systems and processes of our
Sheriff’s Office, vote for Greg.
· If you want a Sheriff that basically
disappears for four years until election time,
and raises no issues, vote for Greg.
· If you have no problem with multiple
in-custody fatalities in the past two years, and
think the county does not have liability, vote
for Greg.
· If you think calling 911 and getting a
recording directing you to press 1 is that way
it should be, vote for Greg.
Greg does not see the problems and opportunities
because he has been in office so long he owns
the problems. Greg needs to retire.
We have two viable candidates. I believe both
are qualified. I also believe they are both
running for the right reasons, and both have
goals and objectives that will help bring the
Boundary County Sheriff’s Office into the 21st
century.
The questions is not who is most qualified, but
who is best qualified to accomplish those
objectives?
Dave Shuman has been here a number of years and
has worked in the current office during that
time. He has prior military experience with law
enforcement and touts his leadership and
administrative skills. He is proud to be a
“Constitutional Sheriff” as I would be. I cannot
question any of those qualifications. I do
question why he hasn’t run sooner. Many of the
issues in the Sheriff’s Office arose while he
has been employed under the current
administration. He may have a good understanding
of what needs fixing, but what attempts has he
made to fix them under Sprungl?
Dave Kramer has been in Bonners Ferry his whole
life. In the six years I have known Dave Kramer,
I have seen him donate his time and experience
to our community. Most of you have seen his
history and if not, visit his webpage
http://electkramersheriff.com/
Dave Kramer is well respected around the state
and has the ability to bridge the gaps between
our county law enforcement and other counties
and agencies.
Many of you think Dave Kramer is a “Good Old
Boy.” For those of you that think this is a bad
thing, I need to point out the difference
between a Good Old Boy and a Crony. The
difference is motivation. Good Old Boys are
motivated by community. While they may be power
players in our small community, they act for the
good of all of us. Cronies are motivated by
power and control. They act in their own best
interest.
Dave Kramer is no Crony. From our first meet 6
years ago, I have seen nothing but selfless acts
by Dave. He volunteers for the Special Olympics
Torch Run each year, and I think he has not
missed a Penguin Plunge.
I said we have two viable candidates. Dave
Schumann and Dave Kramer. Both may make a good
Sheriff. The question is, which one is right for
this time. I believe Dave Kramer has the skills
and support of our community to accomplish great
things. Dave Schumann has the talent to be a
Sheriff, but not right now given the current
state of our County.
Thank you,
Gary Leonard |
