To The Reader’s Forum:

Several weeks have passed since the voters of Chautauqua County cast their ballots in the 2018 mid-term election which included who our next sheriff would be in this county. I was a volunteer for Sheriff Joe’s campaign and came to know Joe not only as a dedicated sheriff, but as a friend. It was truly an experience of a lifetime. As a member of “Team Gerace” I want to thank The Jamestown Post-Journal for their endorsement of Sheriff Joe Gerace.

As most voters know or should know, Sheriff Gerace was responsible for many excellent programs during his proven leadership of 24 years as our sheriff. Among the several programs were Starflight, a proven lifesaver at zero cost to taxpayers; EMT deputy training for emergency response when time really counts; Smart 911 connecting your personal data to the 911 system and the Children’s Safety Village which trains children and youth in real-life situations. The village concept was brought to our county from Canada by Sheriff Gerace. Under Sheriff Gerace accreditation awards were received for law enforcement, 911 center, jail division, civil division and court security. Only six of 59 NY agencies have received this significant recognition.

There was nothing in Sheriff Gerace’s leadership that was Democrat or Republican and the awards received during his tenure were bipartisan. Sheriff Gerace was a true public servant for the public good and safety for all citizens of Chautauqua County. It is a shame when party lines can actually become a detriment in deciding who should be our sheriff or in this case who should continue to be our sheriff. Many, like myself, feel a huge mistake was expressed by a majority of voters on Nov. 6 by not re-electing a sheriff who truly earned and deserved our respect. Chautauqua County failed to re-elect a great sheriff through our unfortunate partisan divide.

From those of us who voted for you we sincerely thank you for your dedication and for your service as sheriff of Chautauqua County.