John Pickering

To the editor:I have been asked by numerous voters of Carroll County, including law enforcement, as to what I think should happen with the sheriff's race. I have given this subject a great deal of thought and feel that the Carroll County Sheriff's Department needs a makeover.The office of sheriff is an extremely important position in county government as well as for county law enforcement. The sheriff should be a person of integrity, a person who is honest and professional. The Sheriff needs to be accountable to the citizens of the county as well as the local law enforcement in the county. He or she needs to be able to make decisions and stand by his or her beliefs, not checking to see which way the wind is blowing before making a decision, as has been the past administration's practice. The office of sheriff, as well as the reputation of the entire agency, has been tarnished by the past administration. Last year, the entire agency was embarrassed by the actions of the prior administration. The sheriff's department has many hard working professional men and women working there, and it's a shame their hard work and dedication were tarnished by their leaders. In my opinion, the actions of the prior administration, although not illegal, certainly give the appearance of being unethical, unprofessional and in extremely poor judgement. This is not the quality of leadership needed in the office of sheriff. The days of the good-old-boy reward system, the "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" thought process has to stop. The one good thing I can say about the prior administration is it was the prior administration. I feel the next sheriff should be a proven leader. A person who will stand up and make the tough decisions needed. A person who will assist local and state law enforcement, instead of the past practice of what is in it for me. The sheriff needs to lead his/her deputies by example and be held accountable. The sheriff needs to be more concerned about what is going on in this county than he is on how to manipulate the retirement system and lining his pockets in the future. I feel two of the four candidates running would be a good sheriff. I feel one candidate stands about the others in his ability to lead. One candidate who will be accountable for the sheriff's office and the decisions made. One candidate who will keep an eye on the budget and work within those guidelines. One person who will work closely with the local and state law enforcement in Carroll County, instead of the knee-jerking, back-door politics of the prior administration. I support Francis Lord for Sheriff as he is a man of his word. He has worked and lived in this county his entire life. He served 20 years with the New Hampshire State Police, retiring as a sergeant and commander of the helicopter aviation unit. He has worked major narcotics investigations as undercover operative as well as a supervisor. Francis is not afraid to say what he feels and will stand by his decisions and be accountable for them, not to pass the buck. Francis is an honest, dependable and approachable individual with high integrity and ethics. He is a successful local business man and is well respected by law enforcement and the citizens of Carroll County. Francis will bring honestly and integrity back to the office of Carroll County Sheriff. He will work closely with the local and state law enforcement as well as the jail and court security bailiffs to be sure the system works the way it should. Please give the sheriff's department the extreme makeover it needs on Sept. 9 when you vote for sheriff. I urge you to vote for Francis Lord as your next sheriff so once again Carroll County can be proud of its county law enforcement.