LITTLE ROCK — The newly elected Benton County sheriff says he plans to spend some time down in Washington County shadowing Sheriff Tim Helder so he can learn firsthand some ins and outs of sheriffing.
He understands how different that responsibility will be than his much decorated tenure with the Rogers Police Department.
If it seems odd that he’s headed to Washington County for his orientation, it is. There’s a reason.
Sheriff-elect Kelley Cradduck says that, despite repeated requests, he can’t get his own outgoing sheriff’s approval to visit the Benton County sheriff’s office in Bentonville for an orientation session or two.
He says he’s attempted several times to contact departing Benton County Sheriff Keith Ferguson to ask for the opportunity to familiarize himself with the operations of his new office.
All those requests have been met with silence.
That’s strange to me since Andy Lee, the sheriff that preceded Ferguson, opened his office to assist Ferguson’s transition for that very reason after Ferguson was elected.
I asked Cradduck-a good-natured sort-about his frustration. “Sheriff Ferguson won’t return my repeated calls and emails,” he told me. “I’ve been very respectful with my messages, but he just ignores me. Sad.”
Now, new sheriff Kelley, old Sheriff Keith is probably just so busy preparing for his departure that he just doesn’t have time to answer phone calls, much less emails, or to have his office assistant do so in response to yours.
It’s probably nothing personal although Ferguson was squarely behind your opponent in last month’s election and you previously ran twice against him and lost.
Surely no one who has held elected public office would be so small-minded and petty, especially someone who has lived as long as Ferguson has and is bound to have a mature grasp on the ups and downs of life, and would flatly ignore a fellow sheriff.
I asked the incoming sheriff if he’d share his latest effort to reach Ferguson. Here is a copy of the latest emailed message that Cradduck forwarded to Ferguson on June 20:
“Sheriff Ferguson, I am writing to you in hopes of setting up a meeting between the two of us to discuss the possibility of me being allowed to shadow you or your designate inside the sheriff’s office in order to become better acquainted with personnel and procedures that are currently in place.
“I have attempted to contact you on three different occasions by phone and left messages each time with your assistant and secretary. I have not received any returned messages from you up to this point. I realize you have an extremely busy schedule, but would respectfully ask that you allow me just a few minutes of your time to discuss the opportunity to help make the transition of power a smooth one, which only stands to benefit the citizens we are here to serve.
“My intention is to better familiarize myself with the office and staff and not to cause any disruptions. I will abide by any parameters you set, to include scheduled visits and would limit my conversations to policies and procedures, as to not undermine your authority, which I completely respect.
“I understand that you did not support me during my run for sheriff; however, I would hope that we can put all politics aside now that the race is over. It would only stand to benefit the office and our community if we can work together to provide as smooth a transition as possible.
“I have a great deal of respect for you and the time you have devoted to office of the sheriff. I would be more than happy to talk about any concerns you have about me observing the daily operations of the office and I am confident we can overcome any obstacles that should occur.
“It is my understanding that retired Sheriff Andy Lee allowed you to come into the office within a few weeks of you being elected. I am sure that experience helped you gain a better perspective of the overall workings of the office before you officially took over in [January].
“If I am not mistaken, shortly after you took office there was a prisoner death inside the jail. I can only assume that the experience allotted to you by Sheriff Lee allowed you to handle that situation much more effectively. I would only ask the same courtesy be extended to me.
“In closing, I want to reiterate the tremendous amount of respect I have for you and your office. I am only attempting to gain a better perspective of the overall workings of the office so the least amount of disruption of services take place for the people of Benton County and the personnel inside the office. I realize that you and you alone have the authority to grant me this request. Thank you for your time, sir, Respectfully.”
Well, the letter sure sounds fine to me. How about you? Perhaps Sheriff Ferguson has been ill or out of state?
Regardless, I’m sure Benton County’s sheriff will enjoy Washington County Sheriff Helder’s hospitality. And he’s bound to appreciate the invitation.
———◊-———
Mike Masterson is opinion editor of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Northwest edition.
Editorial, Pages 15 on 06/26/2012