Campaigning for the November election for Linn County Sheriff has already begun and I urge all voters to carefully assess the candidates backgrounds as only one of them is qualified to be our Sheriff. I hired both of them years ago when I served as your Sheriff. I like them both and I’ve also spoken with them recently, but the differences between the two are dramatic.
Sheriff Michelle Duncan is running to retain her position as Sheriff. When I first hired her I quickly saw that she had leadership potential. She has worked hard to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to run the office. She requested and attended training and advancement, and each succeeding Sheriff has given her additional roles and responsibilities in which she’s excelled. With her obvious ability to handle the job, she was appointed Sheriff when Jim Yon retired in December.
Sheriff Duncan’s opponent, however, is exactly the opposite. He’s a nice person, but he’s done NOTHING to prepare himself to be the Sheriff. Through the years he has been a basic deputy, has requested and attended minimal training and has never tried to advance within the office. In no way is he ready or qualified to run Linn County’s operation. Comments that are coming from his campaign are already showing his lack of experience, knowledge, and judgment.
The Linn County Sheriff’s Office is a multi million dollar taxpayer investment and Michelle Duncan is the only qualified candidate to manage it.
David Burright
Albany
