A Reader Looks at Rick Singleton's Ad

From a reader on the Lauderdale race for sheriff:

A Few Things To Consider

I have a few points for the voters of Lauderdale County regarding our Sheriff’s candidates.

Item #1 – Mr. Hendershot has been married more than once. Mr. Singleton has only one spouse.

Because of this, Mr. Hendershot’s “family values” have been called into question. I think it’s safe to say that a lot of the people we know and love have been married more than once. So, the question is just what arbitrary number of marriages equates to a lack of “family values”? Also, bear in mind that just as it takes 2 to make a marriage, it likewise takes 2 to make a divorce. And, to my knowledge, when Mr. Hendershot ended his marriage, he did not abandon his children or fail to support them.

Ok. Since Sholanda has looked at Mr. Hendershot’s campaign ad claims with a critical eye, let’s likewise turn a critical eye to Mr. Singleton’s campaign ad claims.

Item #2 – Mr. Singleton’s campaign ad states he is the most qualified with “37 years of Law Enforcement experience, 26 as an Administrator....began his career with the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department where he spent 2 years as a jailer...” Folks, do the math. 37 minus 26 equals 11. As in, 11 years of street level cop work. Then, 11 years in the field, minus 2 for being in the jail, equals a total of 9 years of working-the-streets cop experience. And, if he started in the LCSD jail in 1972 to 1974, then he worked the streets from 1975 to 1984. Wow. Surely he has made an arrest since 1984?? Otherwise, that would mean he hasn’t made a case in 30 years. All felony cases in our county go through the District Court and are public record. So, I went up to the court house 4th Clerk’s Office, and found a public records computer. You know how many felony cases I found linked to Mr. Singleton? None. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Well, Ok. How about the Florence Municipal Court?

I went there too. Guess what? Not one Domestic Violence Case. Not one DUI. Not even a stop sign ticket – not any that I could find. Hmmmmmm......so, if he’s not a “working chief”, do you think he will be a “working sheriff”?

Item #3 – Mr. Singleton has stated that he has valuable administrative experience leading a police department of 135 employees (Candidate Debate, UNA, Sept. 23, 2014). Yet, even with all of that experience, he made major missteps – to include failing to put controls in place that would have prevented not 1, not 2, but 3.....3 members of his Senior Command Staff (that means administrators like him, not rank and file police officers) that he promoted from committing sexual offenses that resulted in their terminations during his watch as Florence Police Chief. And, these offenses DID NOT take place in some seedy part of town, or even in the privacy of their own homes. No, these Senior Command Staff members committed their violations WHILE ON DUTY and AT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. According to the Times Daily - Deputy Chief Pete Williford was terminated for charges including Sexual Harassment.

(Aug. 2, 2002), Patrol Officer Tony Hughes (demoted in a previous incident from onetime detective) resigned after being charged with 3rd degree domestic violence concerning a woman he had wiretapped.

(Sep. 8, 2007), Captain Spencer Butler was terminated after a lengthy Sexual Misconduct investigation

(April, 2004), and Captain Basil Kenny “Ken” Stanley was arrested at the police department by the FBI and later pled guilty to Child Pornography charges on his home and police department computers (Aug. 25, 2006). These are facts and they are not in dispute.

Bottom Line: Mr. Hendershot knows what it takes for our deputies to do their jobs, because he too is still out there working the streets daily. And as an Administrator, he has a track record of success managing and supervising his employees. Don’t be fooled. Be like Paul Harvey and be sure to get,  “The Rest of the Story”.

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We appreciate all constructive comments; our only rebuttal to this one is the "family values." Let's begin with saying that Shoalanda herself couldn't care less if a couple gets divorced because she squeezes the toothpaste tube in the middle and he leaves the seat up. Just don't tell everyone about your "faith" in God and His word if you do this. The Bible plainly states its rules for Christian marriages...and btw, children are second to a spouse (this is not in reference to child endangerment as Hendershot claims in his third marriage). Many men support their multitude of offspring--Mick Jagger comes to mind. Family values? Nope, don't think Jagger has any either.

Another reader has asked us to comment on the candidates' children. We will say only that as far as we know, Rick Singleton has none outside of marriage. Having no offspring outside of marriage might not make one chaste, but it does suggest a person cares enough about himself and his partner to use precautions. We believe it's been taught for decades in high school health classes and there's no excuse for not using precautions. This is not a new opinion for us--see our posts on Hottie Scottie (Andrew Daniel Scott).

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We will return to Phil Andrews in Colbert County tomorrow. Our apologies for a delay in our research. If any readers see a comment on our posts that is inappropriate, please reference the date or post title when contacting us. Thanks.

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Shoalanda