In case you missed it, you can catch last night’s debate between sheriff candidates Mike Hislop and Mike Downey here:
This was the first in a series of KHUM/
NCJ
-produced round table discussions among candidates for the June 8 primary elections. Hank Sims and I are taking turns moderating, with help from
Eric Kirk
for next week’s DA forum and
Jack Durham
for the May 20 5th District Supervisor debate.
Topics last night ranged from the budget to code enforcement, AR-15s to homemade rockets, meth to racial profiling. Things even got a little heated at one point when a caller asked about rumors of wife beating (starting about the 39-minute mark).
This article appears in Fifth and Goals.
In hearing what Hislop has to say here, and in other forums, I am curious to know how he feels himself more qualified to take on the role of our Sheriff than Mike Downey?
He promoted to Sgt. with Eureka PD, and now holds the title of lead DA investigator, a department of, I believe, 12. The Sheriff’s Office is a department of well over 300. Hislop talks a lot about “leading from the front”, and how it is “The Sheriff’s Responsibility” to make all the decisions.
The impression I’ve gotten from listening to Hislop speak is that he will be running everything personally. Being that The Sheriff’s Office is so much larger than any other department he has ever “managed” how can he possibly think that he can make every decision that needs to be made personally?
It seems to me that Mike Hislop has no idea what he is getting himself into, and he is quite foolish to think he can, as Sheriff, make every decision, in every situation. I feel it would be a travesty, and huge detriment to not only The Sheriff’s Office, but to Humboldt Co. as a whole, to allow someone with such a small scale of experience attempt to lead such a large scale department.
Mike Downey on the other hand has worked his way up threw the ranks, not only having been promoted to Sgt., but on to Lt., and then Under Sheriff. He has been with the department for 20+ years, and has the experience and the know how to continue to lead the Sheriff’s office in a positive direction. He has the incite, and maturity to realize the vastness of the department, and the essential importance of a appropriate delegation. He knows who his resources are, and the appropriate time to use them.
The very thought of Mike Hislop taking on the roll of Sheriff frightens me. It seems that the all this is to him is another notch on his belt. I don’t know about you but that’s not the kind of man I want “leading” such a vastly important part of our community…
Further more, I am in frequent contact with many of the people involved in Mike Downey’s campaign, and never once have heard even a whisper of anything regarding Hislop being a spousal abuser etc.