Volume 117, Number 9 | November 3, 2000
The three men competing to be Poweshiek County's next sheriff didn't get as much attention last week as the candidates for State Representative, but their exchanges during the 90-minute League of Women Voters forum brought their opinions on law enforcement in the county into sharp focus. The debate focused on drug enforcement, the state of the county jail, and allegations of past mismanagement of the sheriff's office.
Tom Kriegel is the Democratic nominee, Tom Sheets the Republican. Marty Duffus elected to run for the office as an independent after he lost the Republican primary to Sheets last June.
At last week's forum, no candidate emerged as dramatically more qualified than the others. The three men have over 50 years of law enforcement experience between them. It is clear that they all possess, at least on paper, the credentials necessary to be sheriff. Consequently, discussion centered on the candidates' views of past administrations, and what they themselves would do with the office.
Duffus took pains to position himself as tough on crime, sometimes advocating proposals that neither Sheets nor Kriegel agreed with. For example, while all three candidates agreed on the need for strong drug enforcement, Duffus said he would assign one of the deputy sheriffs to work solely on drug cases. Neither of his opponents thought that was necessary, preferring instead to have drug enforcement handled by the entire department.
Duffus talked about his role in setting up the Jasper-Poweshiek Drug Task Force, while Kriegel emphasized his ability to bring together local police departments from Grinnell, Brooklyn, Montezuma, and other towns. "That's where I think I have an advantage, because I've worked closely with all of them," Kriegel said.
Duffus and his opponents also disagreed on how big the new county jail should be, with Duffus advocating a very large building. "We need to build a facility that is large enough to hold more than what we absolutely need," he said. He proposed constructing a prison with 40 or 50 beds, instead of the 25 beds recommended by consultants, and renting space out to other counties to help pay for the facility.
Kriegel was skeptical. "Do we want to jump from seven [beds] to 50?" he asked. "We know how hard it is to sell a school bond [for funding] in this county. Can you imagine how hard it will be to sell a jail bond?"
Sheets also seemed disinclined to build a large facility. "I'd like to see some kind of committee formed" to look at what the county needs, he said. "I'd like to look at all the options available and not dedicate myself to just one option."
Both Sheets and Kriegel praised acting Sheriff Tom Law for turning the department around in the wake of John Griffin's resignation earlier this year. "There are a lot of problems in our sheriff's department," Kriegel said, adding that he thought the Board of Supervisors chose wisely when they decided to appoint Law, a state trooper who had not previously been part of the department, to finish Griffin's term. "Tom Law has done a terrific job in straightening out the jail," he said.
Sheets agreed. "In the past we didn't have a sheriff's office I felt like we could be proud of," he said.
Duffus, a longtime member of the sheriff's department, defended the office's record. "I think we've done a good job in the sheriff's office," he said. "I am proud to be a member."
Both Sheets and Kriegel indicated they would be inclined to keep Larry Wray in the office of chief deputy, which Duffus had occupied during the previous sheriff's administration. Duffus would not comment on who he would name as chief deputy, saying that to do so would be irresponsible.
Duffus said that he had wanted to run for sheriff ever since he came to the sheriff's office 15 years ago. He pledged to be accountable and accessible, and to "do what is best for Poweshiek County."
Sheets said he believes the sheriff's office has good people, and simply needs good leadership. He promised to provide that leadership.
Kriegel, who also ran for the office in 1996, closed by promising to be an industrious leader. "Folks, I promise I'll work hard for you," he said.
The three-way race for Sheriff has turned into a kind of circus in the final days of the campaign, with independent candidate Marty Duffus engaging in a public feud with the current holder of that office, in the pages of the Grinnell Herald-Register.
The Herald-Register's lead story on Monday concerned Democratic candidate Tom Kriegel's criticism of the way the sheriff's office handled a 1999 marijuana investigation. According to acting Sheriff Tom Law, a farmer from Searsboro came to the sheriff's office in November 1999 and told Deputy Tom Sheets that he suspected someone was growing marijuana on nearby land. Sheets found some 500 marijuana plants, which were then destroyed.
Duffus, who was chief deputy under former Sheriff John Griffin, apparently took over the case from Sheets, but no further action was taken. When Law took over after Griffin's resignation, he asked Duffus to contact county attorney Mike Mahaffey to try and close the case. When Duffus did not, Law said, he asked Duffus to hand over all the material he had on the case. Duffus complied.
In the candidates' forum last week, Kriegel alleged that inaction on the case resulted in Poweshiek County losing about $40,000 in forfeiture fees.
Duffus, in response to the Herald-Register's questions, said he did not comment on the case because it would be "unethical and unprofessional." He accused Law of playing politics, trying to discredit him just before the election.
"I am deeply saddened that county politics, especially a sheriff's race, has sunk to this level," Duffus told the Herald-Register.
The same issue included a letter from Law, unrelated to the drug case, in which the current sheriff said that Duffus, in his interview with the Herald-Register, "seemed to belittle what we [Law and chief deputy Larry Wray] have accomplished in our short term as interim sheriff and chief deputy of Poweshiek County."
Law wrote that while he intended to stay neutral in the race, he wanted to defend his record. He criticized the previous administration, and Duffusvby association, on a number of issues ranging from weapons policy to accounting for drug-buy money.
This spat between the current sheriff and one of men seeking the position, carried out in such a public arena, promises to add an interesting twist to next Tuesday's election. How the feud will affect the election, or indeed the future of law enforcement in Poweshiek County, remains to be seen.
compiled by Erik Gable
Scarlet and Black | Grinnell College