The Sheriff Should be Appointed

The Indiana Commission on Local Government and Reform has recommended (#3) that the sheriff, along with other positions, change from elected to appointed positions. There was no doubt that sheriffs were going to be opposed to this recommendation and Niki Kelly of the JG quotes our own Sheriff Ken Fries' opposition:

Allen County Sheriff Ken Fries called the idea of eliminating county sheriffs “utterly ridiculous.”

That would be ridiculous if anyone were actually proposing to do such a thing. On the contrary, the commission merely recommended that they become an appointed position and for good reason as party affiliation does not make you qualified to be sheriff. On top of that, the sheriff, as an administrator, should carry out the policies of the executive branch much in the same way as the Chief of Police, the FBI director, the Department of Homeland Security, etc. Fries continues his argument:

Fries said such a move would take away the power of voters to decide who should fill the office and that placing such power in the hands of a few county officials would increase the threat of corruption.

“It’s much more effective and efficient to have (the sheriff) elected as opposed to appointed,” Fries said.

Again, I respectfully disagree. In fact I don't believe it's even debatable that it's more effective for an executive to pick their administrators than to have them elected. The executive has certain policies in mind and are in the best position to hire the most qualified candidate to carry out those policies. Does the average voter even understand what a county sheriff does, let alone which candidate is more qualified?

Don't get me wrong, I think Sheriff Fries is doing a fine job and would make an excellent choice for sheriff even if the position were to become appointed - which I hope is ultimately what happens...

JG Editorial Board Supports Proposed Shooting Range

I am pleasantly surprised at this morning's JG editorial supporting Sheriff Ken Fries' plan to build a shooting range:

His idea is untested, but if donations and grants build the entire training center and Fries is able to bring in enough revenue to cover operating costs, county officials have little reason not to give it a try.

Even if fundraising falls short and the driving course idea fails, the county would have a needed shooting range, plus land it should be able to resell without loss or make available to new employers.

Fries’ idea is worth pursuing. And regardless of the sheriff’s training center, the Plan Commission, and later the City Council, should vote to rezone the property.

I have previously written in support (here and here) of this plan and I think Sheriff Fries should be commended for trying to build a much-needed rifle range without raising our taxes. It's not every day I agree with the JG editorial page but it's been happening a little more frequently of late - their wildly off-the-mark Valerie Plame editorial not withstanding (sorry, couldn't resist)...

Update on Fort Wayne Shooting Range

Previously, I blogged about Sheriff Ken Fries' plan to build a new shooting range on the south side of Fort Wayne. This complex would be used for officer training as well as recreational shooting for the public (among other things). I applaud this plan especially because Fries wants to build the entire complex with grant money, but before he can apply for the grants the county must own the land.

Yesterday, County Commissioner Nelson Peters informed me that the commissioners did approve a purchase agreement for this land. Now the County Council must approve the plan as there is a provision in the agreement that nullifies it if the council doesn't approve (JG has more). I've written my councilman (Darren Vogt darrenvogt@allstate.com) as well as the three at large members (shown below) to voice my support and I would encourage everyone else that is interested to do the same.

If you don't know who your councilman is you can find them here. Unfortunately for some reason their e-mail addresses aren't listed on the site so you'll have to call the auditors office to get them - convenient huh?

Paul Moss paulgmoss@aol.com
Patt Kite paulette.kite@co.allen.in.us
Roy Buskirk rbuskirk@comcast.net

County Commissioners Should Support Shooting Range

I support Sheriff Ken Fries' effort to build a new shooting range in Fort Wayne. The range can support public safety training while providing a much needed area for recreational shooters. Fries is also correct to try and build the range with grant money and not taxpayer dollars. However, before they can apply for the grants they must own the land so there will be some initial expenses that the commissioners must approve:

But before the department can apply for any grants for the $10 million to $15 million project, it needs to own the property where the range and driving courses would be built. Grant money and monetary donations and in-kind donations from local businesses will likely pay for construction, Myers said. Fries pitched his plan to the county commissioners Wednesday and told them he needed $475,000 to buy the land at Adams Center and Paulding roads. About $200,000 would come from the sheriff’s commissary account, which collects revenue from inmates being housed in the Allen County Jail, Fries said.

This amount could easily be made up in user fees if the grants do come through or the land could be resold if they are unsuccessful in acquiring the grants. Currently the nearest public rifle range is the recently renovated range at Huntington Reservoir. The JG article doesn't explicitly say that there will be a public rifle range and I will attempt to verify whether or not the plans include a rifle range or only a place to shoot handguns. There are other places in the city where the public can fire handguns so Fries should try to ensure that the area will have a rifle range open to the public.

Also, kudos to Nelson Peters for supporting the proposal thus far...

UPDATE: I spoke with Sheriff Fries and he assured me that one of the ranges would be a 300-500 yd rifle range that would be open to the public. He seemed to genuinely support the idea of making it a public/government facility and doing so without using local tax dollars to build it...