I need to get this bit of dialogue in here to start: The following is an editorial opinion. It belongs to me, not necessarily anyone else associated with this paper.
I never thought I would be involved in a political campaign, at least in a direct manner. Sure, I support various candidates at times, but before this election cycle, I’d never done more than talk about who was running with various people. The idea of knocking on doors and helping write material for an individual never occurred to me as something on my bucket list.
Last summer, Darrin Helget approached me about helping out with his planned campaign to run for Steele County Sheriff. I’ve known Darrin for most of my life. We both grew up around New Ulm and graduated from New Ulm Cathedral High School. We also played baseball during our formative years out in beautiful Essig, Minnesota, home of the best fried chicken in the state if you eat at Carl’s Corner.
Darrin has been a deputy in Steele County for over 20 years. I first realized this when he stopped by my wedding reception back in 1998 to wish us well. Since then, I’ve regularly seen Darrin on patrol in Ellendale as well as at baseball games in Owatonna where he coaches and is part of their baseball association. He and his wife Mary live outside Owatonna with their sons.
Anyway, I was a bit shocked when he asked me to be part of his campaign. Why? I didn’t know anything was amiss in the Steele County Sheriff’s Office. I don’t know Lon Thiele personally, having had a few interactions with him at parades and other events, just brief occurrences. I hadn’t heard anything negative for the most part, so why was Darrin going to challenge him?
The more I heard about Darrin’s platform, the more I grew concerned about how things were going in Steele County. Darrin is campaigning on three main ideas.
The first is retention of quality employees, especially deputies. There has been tremendous turnover in the last eight years, with 14 deputies leaving Steele County. We’re all aware that this is often a sign of our times; I see it more and more in education as well. However, there have been many of these former deputies who have spoken out and said they left because of the leadership style in place.
Okay, let’s be honest. Sometimes people have sour grapes based on a bad experience. I often tell kids that they have to learn to deal with all kinds of people because you won’t always like who you work for or with. But in visiting with some of these people who have left, I’m disturbed by what appears to be a static workplace where there isn’t room for discussion on ways to improve. That communication is important for people in a leadership role in any organization to be made aware of ideas that might make things better for everyone, to at least listen to those ideas.
Turnover in any organization costs money. When it happens in a government organization, like the SCSO, we as taxpayers foot that bill. In addition, if a deputy leaves, the county loses that experience and has to work hard to bring a new recruit up to speed. That means that the safety of citizens is in jeopardy every time someone new has to become accustomed to our county.
Another area of concern to Darrin is the lack of a K-9 unit. I wasn’t aware that we hadn’t maintained this in Steele County until Darrin brought it to my attention. Whether people want to admit it or not, there is a huge drug problem around here, especially living near the interstate. Even outside of drugs, a K-9 unit helps in other areas such as tracking criminals and also helping find citizens who are lost and have concerned family members looking for them.
Does a K-9 unit cost money? Of course it does. But by eliminating it, re-establishing it will end up costing us more. Still, it needs to be done. Safety comes at a cost. I’d feel better knowing we had the means to take care of some of these dangers.
The final plank on Darrin’s campaign for Sheriff is increasing the cooperation with other law enforcement and educational entities in and out of the county. I’ve heard about disturbing reports where the SCSO hasn’t been on the same page with the other police departments in the county, on direction from leadership. Everyone needs to work together for the safety of our citizens and our law enforcement officials. Let’s face it, in today’s world, the more eyes on a situation, the better.
Working with schools is very important. Interacting with our young people so they understand the role of law enforcement officals and developing a level of trust with them is vital to a future where we don’t have to worry as much about those confrontations that might exist if there is no trust or understanding.
One incident with an outside agency was especially bothersome. Recently, Waseca County removed any prisoners they were keeping at the Steele County Detention Center. The Waseca County Sheriff was not pleased that the Steele County Sheriff had not consulted with him in regards to some potential plans about jailing between the two counties. Over the past decade, Waseca County has spent an average of $50,000 to house inmates in Steele County. Not making a simple communication may cost Steele County that money which helps pay for the employees in place at the detention center.
At the end of the day, Darrin Helget will have a positive impact as the new Sheriff in Steele County. I invite you to cast your vote for him on Nov. 6. If you have any questions before then, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is palilogy, which is a repetition of words for emphasis, as in, “The political candidate used palilogy to get his point across to the voters.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!