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flyrep
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| Joined: | Tue Oct 4th, 2005 |
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Posted: Tue Nov 11th, 2008 06:38 pm |
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| Amen to that.
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bobthebuilder
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| Joined: | Sat Mar 11th, 2006 |
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Posted: Wed Nov 5th, 2008 03:14 pm |
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Yay! At least one county around here gets a new sheriff.
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QCVillager
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Posted: Wed Nov 5th, 2008 03:06 pm |
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Pinal County getting a new sheriff
by Emily Gersema - Nov. 5, 2008 12:53 AMThe Arizona Republic
It looks like there will be a new sheriff in Pinal County.
With 76 percent of the county's 88 precincts reporting Tuesday night, candidate and Chandler police officer Paul Babeu took a 6 percentage point lead over incumbent Sheriff Chris Vasquez.
By 9 p.m., Babeu had 40,409 votes - about 50 percent of the total - while Vasquez carried 46 percent, or 35,216 votes, according to unofficial tallies kept by the Pinal County Elections Department.
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Babeu's supporters had accused Vasquez of fostering a "good ol' boy" network of policing in the county, which is home to nearly 300,000 people. One of Babeu's top backers and campaign aide was a former state representative, Cheryl Chase.
Babeu, 39, of Queen Creek, held an election night party at the San Tan Flat Saloon & Grill in Queen Creek. Chase said so many people had gathered there she couldn't reach him.
The unofficial results "tell you that people want change," Chase said Tuesday night.
The change also is significant for the Republican Party in the county, which for years has generally voted for Democrats.
Babeu has argued that sheriff's deputies and employees need a morale boost and improved training. He also is critical of using photo radar to police the roads, arguing that it actually is a tax on residents that offers little in return.
Vasquez, a hometown boy-turned-sheriff, has defended his decisions as the top law enforcement boss in the county, arguing that he has improved the office since he took over it in 2005 and his election to the post in 2006. Vasquez, 56, has argued that his hiring and promotion practices are fair and impartial.
Both men emphasized their experience in law enforcement as reasons for their election.
Babeu also is an Iraq War veteran of the Arizona Army National Guard. He served 16 months there, is the former president of the Chandler police union, and opted to take four months of unpaid leave from his job as a Chandler patrolman to campaign for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office.
Vasquez is a U.S. Navy Vietnam War veteran. He has lived all his life in the county.
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