While I respect the opinions expressed heretofore, I feel it’s time to put in my two cents. I am proud to say I worked for La Plata County Sheriff’s Office for nearly 10 years. I enjoyed my career and had the opportunity to work for other agencies as well, in part-time capacities. I have seen the sheriff demonstrate exemplary leadership in difficult situations. I have seen the allegations against Sheriff Duke Schirard, and while I understand and respect the points of view and concerns regarding the political emails, I feel it’s been a bit overblown. I personally received some of those emails and let me say, I’ve seen much worse TV ads in much higher political races.

More importantly, I know the sheriff to be fair and understanding, despite his political views. Never once, in nearly 10 years, did I ever see the sheriff or any other member of his command offer any more or less service or protection to any of this county’s residents, regardless of their political affiliation or for any other reason. I have found him to always be fair, honest and straightforward, even when I didn’t agree with him.

Aside from my personal experience, after 40 years of dedicated service and 20 years as the elected sheriff, if a few politically insensitive forwarded emails are the worst dirt to be found, well, that speaks volumes. Agree with his views or not, he’s done a great job, and at least we know what he stands for and that he is willing to stick his neck out to protect the freedoms of the residents in the county. So whether you are conservative, moderate, liberal or anywhere else on the spectrum, I urge you to check the record of the candidates before making your decision on where to place your support. Don’t just look for negative items, but positives as well and, most importantly, what the candidate has accomplished and what he has done and will do for the county.

Jake Yeager

Durango