Retaining Sheriff Howie will be a win-win

To The Eagle:

Sheriff Mark Howie is passionate about his job and committed to the citizens of Wahkiakum County. He has the training and discipline to manage the department and the vision to lead it forward.

His answers at the October 8 forum were straight, to the point and honest. He realizes the challenges this small department has, from funding to keeping personnel; yet he did accept that mission and is going forward preparing local citizens to follow in his footsteps.

He acknowledges the increase of domestic violence and mental health as being two of the biggest enforcement problems in the county. He feels it is extremely important and has established partnerships with other law enforcement offices and mental health related programs to assist with these important issues.

At the forum, when asked by former Sheriff Bardsley about the low morale in the office, I thought the response by Sheriff Howie was right from the heart. First, he was surprised to hear that accusation, then stated, “Morale is pretty darn good for all that happened last year.” He then questioned how Mr. Bardsley arrived at that conclusion since he had not seen him at the station in the last year.

I question the Mike Balch response to his almost 30 years on the force and turning down the undersheriff position offered him in 2002. After 19 years on the job and not accepting a promotion shows lack of foresight. Wahkiakum County cannot afford that deficiency. Nor can we accept that animal control problems are the biggest enforcement issue in the county.

I strongly agree with Richard Swart, October 3; retaining Sheriff Howie will be a win-win for this county.

I urge you not to let this county slip backward. A vote for Sheriff Mark Howie will ensure we move forward in a positive direction.

Colleen Haley, Grays River