By D. E. Smoot
Phoenix Staff Writer
July 23, 2008 11:43 pm
—
Four candidates will square off Tuesday with hopes of winning the Democratic nomination for the Haskell County sheriff’s race.
The post is being vacated by Sheriff Manuel Ballard, who is retiring after serving two terms in office. The race drew no Republicans or third-party candidates, so Tuesday’s election will either determine the outcome of the election or narrow the field to two candidates for the Aug. 24 runoff primary election.
Among the candidates listed on the primary election ballot are Undersheriff Brian Hale, former deputy and drug task investigator Steven Fioretti, Quinton Police Officer John Barbee and Shane Sears.
Hale failed to respond to the Phoenix’s inquiries about his candidacy prior to publication. Several calls to a telephone number provided by the Haskell County Election Board for Sears went unanswered.
Fioretti and Barbee, however, expressed concerns about the current administration and policies that have guided the office the past several years.
Fioretti, who said he would tap retired Oklahoma Highway Patrol Lt. Mike Daniels as his undersheriff should he win election, said he would make fiscal responsibility one his top priorities.
“There is a lot of spending going on that doesn’t really make sense for a county this size,” Fioretti said, citing the recent purchase of four Dodge Chargers with hemi-powered engines. “How many high-speed chases do we really have here?”
Fioretti said more prudent spending could result with surplus funds that could be used to put more deputies out in the field. Other issues Fioretti said he would work to improve if elected is the level of professionalism and accessibility.
Right now, Fioretti said, citizens have little to no access to the sheriff or the undersheriff, who Fioretti said works four days then takes four days off.
“Whatever the complaint might be, the public needs to have access to those individuals,” Fioretti said. “The sheriff’s job is not a 40-hour-a-week job. It’s 24/7, and I think the people deserve a sheriff who is dedicated and will be there when he is needed.”
Barbee, who retired from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections before working as a law enforcement officer, expressed similar concerns about accessibility.
“It’s time for a change — we need to get back to the basics,” Barbee said about his reasons for entering the four-man fray for the sheriff’s post. “Most of the deputies don’t want to crawl out of their vehicles. We’ve got to do some community policing and get to know the citizens out there in the county.”
Barbee, who said he would tap a few of his colleagues who have retired from the Department of Corrections to staff the jail or train others jail workers, said the Haskell County Sheriff’s Office and its employees must be prepared to support some of the smaller police departments in the area.
“People worry too much about who’s going to get whose job,” Barbee said. “We (law enforcers) are a brotherhood, and we need to take care of our own while serving the citizens of this county.”
As far as qualifications, both Fioretti and Barbee cited experience as law enforcement officers, corrections officers or both.
Fioretti cited his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and actual experience on the street as positives. He said his home building business has given him the skills necessary to handle big budgets.
Barbee said his career in corrections and later work in law enforcement — for a total of 30 years — has allowed him to “get a taste of a little bit of everything” he will need to handle the job.
Meet the candidates
NAME: Steven Fioretti
AGE: 40.
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat.
HOMETOWN: Stigler.
FAMILY: Wife Julie Fioretti; children; Remington, 6, Addison, 1.
OCCUPATION: Self-employed home builder with 18 years of experience working as a law enforcement officer. For seven of those years, Fioretti was a member of the drug interdiction task force.
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Northeastern State University.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Methodist.
HOBBIES: Pilot for about 20 years.
NAME: John Barbee
AGE: 52.
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat.
HOMETOWN: Enterprise.
FAMILY: Four children: John III, 30; Tony, 29; Lisa, deceased; and Michelle, 25.
OCCUPATION: Quinton police officer and retired corrections officer.
EDUCATION: Stigler High School; Central Vo-Tech; Arbuckle Truck Driving School; Certified Law Enforcement Education and Training for reserve officers at Kiamichi Technology Center; full CLEET training at Tulsa Technology Center.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Freeworld Baptist.
HOBBIES: Raise Bassett hounds; foster grandparenting; services as chairman of Choctaw Housing Authority; works as a volunteer firefighter for Brooken Fire Department; assists programs for Choctaw Senior Citizens Center.
NAME: Brian E. Hale
AGE: No response.
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat.
HOMETOWN: Stigler.
FAMILY: No response.
OCCUPATION: Haskell County undersheriff.
EDUCATION: No response.
NAME: Shane Sears
AGE: No response.
POLITICAL PARTY: Democrat.
HOMETOWN: Stigler.
FAMILY: No response.
OCCUPATION: No response.
EDUCATION: Eastern Oklahoma State College, graduated in 2004 with an associate’s degree in criminal justice.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: No response.
HOBBIES: No response.
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