I understand that Saturday morning, Georgia Secretary of State candidate Karen Handel’s husband, speaking in her stead, addressed the Fayette County Republican Party Breakfast in Fayetteville. According to one person in attendance I know personally, an online account of one Fayette County Commission candidate (Eric Maxwell), and a surreal online account by one current Fayette County commissioner (Peter Pfeifer), her husband jumped head first into the long-running political dispute that has absolutely no connection to or parallel with the on-going Fulton County Sheriff’s Office saga.

It seems that Mr. Handel, by direct inference, suggested that his spouse had rooted out corruption in the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office and intimated that Fayette County had its own commission battles against corruption involving the Sheriff’s Office as well.

How dare he make such a slanderous comment? His comments are not easily dismissed; they represent the position of a person seeking higher elected office. He obviously has no first-hand knowledge of Fayette County and the disputes between Sheriff Johnson and the Fayette County Board of Commissioners.

Words do not exist to express my feelings; incensed would be an understatement.

Throughout the ongoing saga of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners and Sheriff Johnson, not one single person involved in this dispute has questioned Sheriff Johnson’s integrity — not one! None of the commissioners has implied that Sheriff Johnson has been less than an honest and faithful servant to the citizens of Fayette County.

Since Commissioner Dunn is the Fayette County chairman of the Handel campaign, it stands to reason that with 159 Georgia counties, Commissioner Dunn has spoken with Mr. Handel and given him background information of issues unique to our county.

While Mr. Handel might not have referenced Sheriff Johnson directly, he certainly implied corruption. As Karen Handel’s Fayette County campaign chairman, Commissioner Dunn has a responsibility to ensure that this mischaracterization is corrected.

I am a long-tenured employee of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office and like many law enforcement officers, the consistently poor performance of the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office has been a consistent black eye and embarrassment to all sheriffs’ offices across the state of Georgia. (Let’s not forget Clayton County’s sheriff either. Let’s not forget former DeKalb Chief of Police Lewis Graham’s recent departure nor former Henry County Chief of Police Wayne Bowlden’s departure.)

My point is that scandalous activities and outrageous behavior are not unique to the office of sheriff. Think Mitch Skandalakis (Fulton County Commission chairman), Bill Campbell (former mayor of Atlanta) and R.J. Kurey (Alpharetta City Council).

Observations of poor examples in our public officials, without acknowledging the many elected and otherwise public officials doing a great job everyday would be irresponsible. Those positive examples exist every day and everywhere.

It is a daily struggle to balance the interests of one individual with the interests of many. God bless those who struggle with that compassionately and professionally for it’s doubtful they often hear the words, “Job well done.”

In my position I am passionate in my beliefs, but have until now felt it appropriate to let others voice positions similar to mine. Its important to remain professional and work to maintain professional relationships, especially with those you might disagree with.

I have to say this and say it clearly. In my more than 20 years with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Johnson has never asked me to say, or do anything, that I would be embarrassed to tell my mother or preacher. Never!

Okay, well, maybe he asked me to be in that Sam Chapman picture a few years ago that recently resurfaced, but that’s it.

I have a burning desire to ask Commissioner Dunn, who lists integrity prominently on his campaign poster, four simple but revealing questions:

1. Did you meet with Sheriff Johnson and Lt. Colonel Jordan, in your office at Stonewall Avenue, in the two weeks before the commission meeting where our helicopter was first discussed?

2. Did you say during that meeting something to the effect that it sounded like a good deal and as soon as you had enough commissioners on board, you’d bring it up in a regular commission meeting?

3. If the asset forfeiture money had been under the control of the Board of Commissioners, would he have voted to allow the purchase?

4. Would you admit publicly that you have stated that as a group, government employees are lazy and unmotivated?

If nothing else, how he answers those questions will tell me a great deal about how much he values integrity.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office is not perfect, far from it. But don’t underestimate the dedication and integrity of the many men and women who make up our agency. Sheriff Johnson will retire from his career in the same manner as he has always carried himself — professional, proud, caring, and above all dignified. You might not always agree with him, but you will always know where he stands.

I hope that somehow, we can return to the era of civility where honest people can have honest disagreements and work in the sprit of compromise to resolve disputes. Our community deserves better that the storms, the ugliness and vicious nature of the current political season.

Bryan L. Woodie
Fayetteville, Ga.

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