Fayette County Sheriff's Race My Thoughts

Fayette County Sheriff's Race
Submitted by Shadow08 on Mon, 02/18/2008 - 5:36pm.

Ok you heard it here first; the upcoming Fayette County Sherriff’s election will be something to watch. The candidates will work hard but bottom line Wayne Hannah will become the next sheriff of Fayette County. FYI, I am not connected to anyone’s campaign, however, I support Wayne Hannah as he is the clear choice in this election.

Barry Babb is a great deputy has great people skills, vast amounts of technical knowledge, and long-term commitment to Fayette County but lacks command time and the administrative skills necessary to oversee a large metropolitan law enforcement agency. I hope he and Wayne can remain friends and he has a place to comeback to after the election. Wayne should make a place for him where his skills, training, and abilities will best serve the citizens and visitors of Fayette County. Predictions 24% of the vote. Barry will one day be a great Sheriff, and I hope Wayne grooms him for executive leadership positions and one day as a secessor.

Tom Mindar, to this day, I have no clue why he thinks he can become the top law enforcement executive here or anywhere. More to the job then serving warrants and all that “trust you’ve built” with your fellow deputies, how will that play later when they all want a raise or a choice assignment. He lacks maturity and employs a confrontational personality style having proven himself an accomplished bare-knuckle fighter. It is rumored, that he told Wayne, that when he is elected, he would allow Wayne to stay in his current position. Presumptive I’d say! Thomas is committed (Or overheard saying to another deputy) “disbanding” the traffic unit which has been a huge success under Wayne’s supervision.

Never a revenue tool, this unit has received many state and national awards for their work in reducing speed and alcohol related crashes and fatalities. Due to the work of this unit, the Georgia State Patrol, headquartered in Newnan, has made it know that they do not aggressively work Fayette County due to the great work of the Sheriff’s Department and the Local City Police Agencies in traffic enforcement and education. To my knowledge, Thomas Mindar has not even completed the supervision, management, and executive training program offered at the Police Academy? So this is a situation where opportunity will meet with training, experience, education, executive skill sets. Mr. Mindar does not meet the standard for the position and will get my guess 16% of the votes if he's lucky.

What have you done in the past 10 years to ready yourself for this challenge of executive leadership? Thomas Mindar cannot differentiate between a line item and a zero based budget. There is more to the job then having breakfast every morning , people skills are important, but so is professional education, for which you have not availed yourself to or sought opportunity to obtain a degree or law enforcement supervision training above that of a field level street officer / deputy.

Dave Simmons: Just don’t know enough about him to comment, except that at this time, the department needs someone who is status quo with a vision for the department that parallels the vision of the county. I respect his law enforcement command credentials, but are we interested in having someone run our sheriff’s department where the majority of the experience was gained from a large metropolitan police department that has been under Federal judicial oversight for the past 10 to 15 years? He ran for County Commission, lost, now Sheriff, It would appear that he is just looking for a job, any kind of job in government. I hope the retirement is enough and your just board. My Guess 8% to 11% of the vote.

Wayne Hannah will garner over 52% of the vote, become elected sheriff and I hope that is the starting point for the new department. It is my hope he will stress education, formal and technical, as well as implementing a program where professionalism is the standard. I hope he looks into national accreditation. He will hold employees responsible for individual conduct and will take what Randall has built and take it where it can do the most for the safety and security of our residents and guests. Wayne has received national awards and is thought of highly as a professional law enforcement executive and practitioner.

He may have his distracters within the department that don’t see eye to eye with him, but remember, they serve at the pleasure of the sheriff and I hope some house cleaning is made. A little animosity is expected after such a long tenure with the department and having been “in Command” for so long, he is bound to have made some folks upset.

Hannah: Executive Experience, Fairness, Committed, Vision

Babb: Great technical skills, great people skills, dedicated, One-day will be ready for the job, not right now.
Might be a great Chief Deputy!

Mindar: No Hope, No Experience, No Training, Combative, Presumptive, Arrogant,

Just my opinion, I invite yours,