EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a two-part series looking at the sheriff’s race in the Republican Primary. A story on Sheriff Steve Sheldon will appear on Monday at RichlandSource.com.
MANSFIELD, Ohio — Newly announced Richland County Sheriff candidate Jerry Botdorf (R), a retired sergeant with over 23 years experience with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, is running an aggressive campaign for the March primary.
In it, he seeks answers from current sheriff Steve Sheldon.
“Why is he paying a Columbus attorney to make legal decisions for his department?” asked Botdorf. “I’m not going to sling mud. I may call him (Sheldon) out on some of the decision making, but all of those are facts that are available to anybody. So there are certain things I’d like to ask him about.”
According to Richland County Auditor’s files, the county has an existing account with CORSA, a 65-county conglomerate aimed at providing its members comprehensive property liability coverage.
Richland County Auditor Pat Dropsey said payments made to CORSA are not fixed and may reflect deductibles paid, but not only with the sheriff’s department. The graph below shows amounts paid to CORSA over a 10-year period.
According to Dropsey, there have been no payments to CORSA to date.
“We’ve been with CORSA since before 1985,” Dropsey said.
According to Sheldon, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department works with Daniel T. Downey, an attorney from Fishel Hass Kim Albrecht LLP in Columbus.
“He also advises other counties and other entities within Richland County, he has a statewide practice, he does a great job and having him on board has saved the county money. His law enforcement expertise is a great benefit to the county,” Sheldon wrote in an email.
Botdorf also wondered why Sheldon is paying his fiduciary staff overtime, especially amidst tight budgets. The sheriff has been paying his appointed staff members overtime for many years, Botdorf said.
Sheldon said the Sheriff’s office is short 18 deputies, causing the existing employees to work overtime.
“It has been necessary for the fiduciary employees to supplement day to day operations which are in addition to their regular duties,” Sheldon explained. “Overtime in all divisions is an unavoidable necessity in the criminal justice environment. We have worked diligently to stay within our budget.”
Finally, Botdorf wanted to know why Sheldon has only assigned one deputy to the county’s drug task force, METRICH.
“We have such a huge drug problem in Richland County,” Botdorf said.
Sheldon said the sheriff’s department had two deputies assigned to METRICH in the past. When they are unable, Sheldon said they help out in other ways, noting Catalyst Life Services and Mental Health and Recovery Services through Richland Public Health.
The sheriff also mentioned the department’s introduction to the Vivitrol program at the jail, its support of the local drug court, and “we were on the ground floor starting Starfish of Richland County.”
Botdorf, who serves as operations supervisor for the Mansfield 911 Center, believes he can bring a sense of pride to the sheriff’s department with his leadership abilities.
“My strength is leadership. I like to put my boots on the ground with the guys. I don’t like to lead from the office, or direct from the office,” Botdorf said. “To me it makes no sense to coach a football team from the office, you got to be on the field.”
As sheriff, Botdorf pledged to reimplement an old system: two majors instead of one chief deputy. He said that was the system he was introduced to back when he served in law enforcement.
His majors would be Brad E. Hoffert, a retired FBI special agent of 23 years, and John H. Nicholson, a retired sergeant of 26 years with the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
“Three heads are better than one,” Botdorf said. “My name would be on the door if I were elected, but we’re going to run it as a group.”
Botdorf graduated from Mansfield Senior High School, has been married to Laurie Botdorf for 26 years and they have five children and eight grandchildren. For updates from Botdorf’s race for sheriff, visit his Facebook page.
As a community development group committed to growing Mansfield, NECIC sees civic engagement as vital for a healthy community. Rooted in the North End, their efforts benefit North Central Ohio and beyond. They promote informed voter turnout for a thriving society. Explore at www.necic-ohio.org.