Park County Sheriff's Election 2018

Answers to the same 30 questions from Tom McGraw and Steve Spodyak:

Tom McGraw:


Steve Spodyak:

A bit of background: there is a Facebook Group called Park County Election 2018 (which we help admin, for full disclosure) where all candidates have been invited to join, answer questions, and share their platforms and goals if they are elected. Questions were solicited a while back from community members of what they would like the candidates to answer, and the candidates are now supplying those answers. If you have other questions you would like to ask, please feel free to post them here or join the Park County Election 2018 group and ask there.

The list of questions:
1. Have you ever managed any employees and if so how many?

2. What do you feel the minimum requirements are to be a Park County Deputy and what should be the base rate for that position?

3. Should you seek higher salaries for Deputies how will you ensure that ANY tax increase goes toward training and making sure that Park County has qualified people in the positions?

4. What will you direct your deputies /employees to focus on and why? How do these issues effect citizens of Park County? [ALL]

5. Do you support the AG's position on attempting to enforce federal law on Marijuana? Will you allow your deputies to assist Federal law enforcement in simple possession/ manufacture cases? [Sheriff]

6. How do you plan to balance the wants and needs of the rural vs suburban residents. There is a perception that Park County is becoming Denver lite. Do you agree with the code of the west if so why if not then why [ALL]

7. What is your position on Civil Asset Forfeiture [ALL]

8. What is your position on eminent domain [ALL]

9. What procedures will you implement to provide transparency in your departments activities above and beyond the open records laws [ALL]

10. Will you consider a run as an independent should you not be the caucus winner [ALL]

11. What will you do to streamline and optimize the budget of your department , what wasteful practices do you want to eliminate [ALL]

12. What personal and or economic relations do you have to current elected county officials [ALL]

14. What would you do different in regards to the most recent tragedy involving Miss. Long? Things leading up to, during and after this investigation.

15. What will you do to insure that an armed Resource Officer is ALWAYS present during school hours at the Fitzsimmons Middle School and High School?

16. What will you do to decrease the illegal drugs coming into our county and the ability for our kids to obtain illegal drugs?

17. What will you do about the fact that some of our current Deputies have been involved in activities in the past that have gotten them relieved of their positions then rehired at a later date? Activities that are illegal and violate the sworn oath they have taken.

18. What makes your promises or answers more believable than another candidates?

19. Why should we believe that you will truly do what you say you will do and that your answers aren't just canpaign promises said to merely get elected?

20. Do you have kids currently enrolled in the Park County school system?

21. Would you support or not support teachers in the Platt Canyon school system being trained and authorized to maintain a firearm in select classrooms?

22. As an Accreditation & Policy Compliance Manager in a neighbouring jurisdiction, I am wondering why the PCSO has not decided to pursue law enforcement accreditation? I believe many of the issues the PCSO has faced/is currently facing are covered by LE standards, and these programs would immensely help bring this agency back on track. Can the candidates speak as to their thoughts on pursuing this recognition?

23. Will you publish your agencies policy and procedure manual including use of force continuum and code of conduct publicly?

24. What do you think are the appropriate circumstances and criteria before implementing "no-knock" raids on private property? When is such risk of life to the deputies and victims worth it?

25. Do you support individuals being able to own guns? If not, why and if so, why?

26. Do you support the federal government removing marijuana from a schedule 1 drug?

27. Have you ever disobeyed an order from a superior and if so, why

28. If there are no funds available from the county or taxpayers, what can and will you do to augment the training and equipment for deputies?

29. If elected, how will you avoid conflict of interest, favoritism and the perception of deep corruption that currently seems to be so prevalent.

30. How would you have handled the Martin Wirth eviction differently? Please provide detail.

Upcoming Meet N Greets: (check our Community Calendar under the Politics Category for election happenings and other government events.
Tom McGraw:

Tom McGraw, Candidate for your Park County Sheriff will be hosting two Meet and Greets this weekend for the citizens of Park County to get to know him. Tom is committed to working effectively with people of varying backgrounds, attitudes, opinions, and beliefs.

Come on out and let's get your questions and concerns answered.

Friday, February 9th, 6:00 pm @ the Crow Hill Cafe located at
1 Dellwood Dr, Bailey, Colorado

Saturday, February 10th, 2:00 pm @ the Shepherd of the Rockies Church located at 106 Rosalie Rd, Bailey, Colorado

John Tighe:

I will be at Harris Park Bible Church on Sunday, February 11th, at the potluck following their 10:00 a.m. service. Please feel free to come and say hi! Thank you for the invite Pastor Alex Probst! The address is 2257 Shelton Drive, Bailey CO

Gary Rhoads Sr:

Come and Meet Gary Rhoads Sr at the Hungry Miner 48 Platte Dr, Fairplay, CO 80440
February 11, 2018 from 3:00-5:00pm
www.facebook.com/events/405254596577728/

Gary Rhoads Sr's response to the community questions:


Upcoming Meet N Greets:
Feb 16: Tom McGraw at Bailey Library, 6-9pm
Feb 17: Steve Spodyak at Hartsel Community Center, 1:30-3pm
Feb 21: Monte Gore at Brown Burro Cafe, 10:30am-12pm

Other Upcoming Political Events on our Community Calendar

Thanks for all the information!!!

All 6 candidates have now returned their answers to the community submitted questions below. For organization, we are posting all pdf documents here again, and adding Monte Gore's and Mike Brown's, previously not posted. We would like to express our thanks to all candidates for taking the time to answer these questions. Their answers are lengthy and thoughtful, please take some time reviewing them all and try to attend some upcoming meet n greets to get to know them better and ask them more.

Mountain-News-Events wrote: A bit of background: there is a Facebook Group called Park County Election 2018 (which we help admin, for full disclosure) where all candidates have been invited to join, answer questions, and share their platforms and goals if they are elected. Questions were solicited a while back from community members of what they would like the candidates to answer, and the candidates are now supplying those answers. If you have other questions you would like to ask, please feel free to post them here or join the Park County Election 2018 group and ask there.

The list of questions:
1. Have you ever managed any employees and if so how many?

2. What do you feel the minimum requirements are to be a Park County Deputy and what should be the base rate for that position?

3. Should you seek higher salaries for Deputies how will you ensure that ANY tax increase goes toward training and making sure that Park County has qualified people in the positions?

4. What will you direct your deputies /employees to focus on and why? How do these issues effect citizens of Park County? [ALL]

5. Do you support the AG's position on attempting to enforce federal law on Marijuana? Will you allow your deputies to assist Federal law enforcement in simple possession/ manufacture cases? [Sheriff]

6. How do you plan to balance the wants and needs of the rural vs suburban residents. There is a perception that Park County is becoming Denver lite. Do you agree with the code of the west if so why if not then why [ALL]

7. What is your position on Civil Asset Forfeiture [ALL]

8. What is your position on eminent domain [ALL]

9. What procedures will you implement to provide transparency in your departments activities above and beyond the open records laws [ALL]

10. Will you consider a run as an independent should you not be the caucus winner [ALL]

11. What will you do to streamline and optimize the budget of your department , what wasteful practices do you want to eliminate [ALL]

12. What personal and or economic relations do you have to current elected county officials [ALL]

14. What would you do different in regards to the most recent tragedy involving Miss. Long? Things leading up to, during and after this investigation.

15. What will you do to insure that an armed Resource Officer is ALWAYS present during school hours at the Fitzsimmons Middle School and High School?

16. What will you do to decrease the illegal drugs coming into our county and the ability for our kids to obtain illegal drugs?

17. What will you do about the fact that some of our current Deputies have been involved in activities in the past that have gotten them relieved of their positions then rehired at a later date? Activities that are illegal and violate the sworn oath they have taken.

18. What makes your promises or answers more believable than another candidates?

19. Why should we believe that you will truly do what you say you will do and that your answers aren't just canpaign promises said to merely get elected?

20. Do you have kids currently enrolled in the Park County school system?

21. Would you support or not support teachers in the Platt Canyon school system being trained and authorized to maintain a firearm in select classrooms?

22. As an Accreditation & Policy Compliance Manager in a neighbouring jurisdiction, I am wondering why the PCSO has not decided to pursue law enforcement accreditation? I believe many of the issues the PCSO has faced/is currently facing are covered by LE standards, and these programs would immensely help bring this agency back on track. Can the candidates speak as to their thoughts on pursuing this recognition?

23. Will you publish your agencies policy and procedure manual including use of force continuum and code of conduct publicly?

24. What do you think are the appropriate circumstances and criteria before implementing "no-knock" raids on private property? When is such risk of life to the deputies and victims worth it?

25. Do you support individuals being able to own guns? If not, why and if so, why?

26. Do you support the federal government removing marijuana from a schedule 1 drug?

27. Have you ever disobeyed an order from a superior and if so, why

28. If there are no funds available from the county or taxpayers, what can and will you do to augment the training and equipment for deputies?

29. If elected, how will you avoid conflict of interest, favoritism and the perception of deep corruption that currently seems to be so prevalent.

30. How would you have handled the Martin Wirth eviction differently? Please provide detail.

Video taken at Gary Rhoads Sr's Meet N Greet this past weekend:

A question posted on February 24 in the Park County Election 2018 Group by Vernon McAllister:

To all Candidates; in light of yet another tragic school shooting and the fact that our kids in Platte Canyon are currently some of the most unprotected kids in Colorado, what are your thoughts of the SO or any approving authority looking into using retired Veterans as SROs. Obviously not all would qualify but I know for a fact that our community has individuals that would more than qualify and would really like the opportunity to serve our community in this capacity. I happen to know one individual that has held a Secret Security Clearance for 21 years through the Federal Government, is a retired MSG from the Army (highly decorated), is POST Law Enforcement Certified (as a matter of fact, graduated 2nd in his class with honors), has no criminal record, has had a background check done by the SO for assistant coaching along with background checks and drug testing for current job with the state and for past employment in Federal Service, has CCP and stands ready to serve as an SRO. We need only to find more like this person and the problem would be solved. Of course these individuals would fall under the supervision of the SO and would receive annual training through the SO. This would also free-up the Sheriff's Deputies.
Thanks for all that you all are doing and your desire to serve our community in the highest Law Enforcement position in Park County.

Response by Mr. Gore:

I am the candidate that has taken a proactive approach to protecting our schools. I worked with veterans that wanted to help provide school safety and act as an SRO. I am also the only candidate that has attempted to fund SRO's for our five school campuses. Please see the attached letter to the editor. www.montegoreforsheriff.com/issues/school-safety

A question posed on February 23 in the Park County Election 2018 Group by Steve Monson:

My question is regarding Command Experience and this question is mostly for Steve Spodyak and Mike Brown. John Tighe and Gary Rhoads can answer as well though I am not certain how much command type experience they have had. To be effective, the responsibilities of Sheriff goes way deeper than than what you do in your current positions or what you have indicated in your previous experience. Things I am talking about are budget decisions, high level personnel decisions, more in depth public relations/interactions with the public and politicians, decisions that could affect a portion or the entire county as others have talked about hostage decisions. My question is how would work around the current lack of experience and what would you do to ensure that you quickly gained experience. I know there is nothing like feet to the fire to gain experience but I am just curious as to what your answers would be.

Response by Mr. Spodyak:

Steve, your question made me think of when General Schwarzkopf addressed the Corps of Cadets and told them that the leaders of the 21st Century needed: Competence and Character. I have the work ethic, drive and desire to ensure that I am competent and prepared. The other part to this is knowing that a key to being a successful leader is surrounding yourself with the best people you can find. That is my goal. I am also a quick learner, and not afraid of making the right decision. As for the Character part, my Character allows me to gain trust and respect, two things a leader must have in order to effectively lead, and also the willingness to go the extra mile to get the job done. I will take the initiative to ensure that I am prepared to lead in the capacity of Sheriff.

Reply by Steve Monson:

Thank you for your response Steve. It was pleasantly much what I expected. I assume when you say that you will surround yourself with the best people possible this will also include outside of the current Park County command staff, correct? If so, without giving up to much of your strategy, how would you accomplish this?

Reply by Mr. Spodyak:

Fortunately, I have been able to develop and keep relationships with Law Enforcement professionals from around Colorado, as well as other states. There is still a long election road ahead, but at the end, I’m confident I will appoint Command Staff capable of implementing a new vision and mission for the Sheriff’s Office.

Question posted by Becky Van Hout in Park County Election 2018 Group on February 15th:

Another question that has been asked repeatedly over the last few weeks.....If you are elected Sheriff, How will you evaluate the current command staff and would you likely make changes in this area and if so, what criteria would you use?

Reply by Mr. Spodyak:

I think the most important assessment a new organization head can make regarding existing staff is: do these people fit the mission and the goals of the organization in their current roles? If not, can they be molded to fit and execute what is expected of them? Regarding the current Command Staff; if they have the trust of the troops, the character and professionalism to successfully lead and knowledge of their position to move the agency forward; they would be retainable.
The interesting thing about a Sheriff, or head of any organization, is they have the opportunity to appoint personnel that possess skills they may not have. I think the key to making this endeavor successful is surrounding yourself with the best possible people in positions to support/supplement you as a leader.

Reply by Mr. Gore:

I would not be retaining the current command staff.

Follow up replies by Mr. Gore:

Action is needed. Status quo is not an option. While others would have to evaluate command staff to determine qualifications and ethical standards, I am already familiar with this staff. The current undersheriff and two captains have been unable to provide the direction and leadership necessary to retain staff and to be effective in accomplishing their missions. The current undersheriff has demonstrated a failure to be forthright and transparent with citizens. The public is already aware of misinformation that was presented to them in the Maggie Long Murder case. The public is aware they were not informed of a potential danger while neighboring law enforcement was issued information stating the suspect should be considered armed and dangerous. This organization is in need of serious repair. Delaying decision making will not correct that problem.

Todd Schroeder In order to reestablish trust with our citizens I can not keep individuals who have not been forthright in command positions or retain them some where else in the organization. As an experienced leader and manager my administration will work to improve morale within the Sheriff's Office and provide a positive work environment for our staff. As your Sheriff I will uphold the Public Trust!

Reply by Mr. Rhoads Sr:

I will evaluate each employee on their current training and experience. I will review their personnel file and determine if they are qualified to be in the position they are currently in and or if they are even retainable. Most likely the command staff will change. The criteria I will use will be based off of training, experience, merit and performance and not the "Good ol Boy" system.

Reply by Mr. Tighe:

I believe to have an attitude of ‘cleaning house’ or vengeful / vindictive termination is wrong. It seems there has been a precedent set to come to the table with your lawyer. To make a comment like “all command staff will go” is contrary to good leadership, irresponsible and would only be detrimental to the Sheriff’s Office and the county through a possibility of unnecessary lawsuits, not to mention the loss of some valuable employees . We do have a good command staff and I believe that with consistent direction and leadership, they would excel and be a part of a positive, working relationship with our community.
Steve and Gary thought out their answers well by stating that there would be a process for evaluating each employee, you go to the personnel file. I don’t have a lot more to add to that. You educate yourself on each individual, looking at the strengths/ weaknesses and their history, and you make a decision that will compliment your goals and vision for this department. I believe one of the traits of a great leader is that they strive to surround themselves with great individuals. There is no longer any room for favoritism or the ‘Good Ole Boy’ system here in Park County.

For additional discussion, please go to www.facebook.com/groups/ParkCountyElection/