Crider is Clear Choice

Dear Editor,

In these last few days before Election Day I’ve been thinking about respect. In a recent letter to the Union-Bulletin editor a man wrote that he didn’t think being a fighter pilot would make Mark Crider a better sheriff. Crider served this country for 10 years as a Naval aviator, commanding men & women and managing million-dollar budgets. He obeyed orders from superiors while looking out for the welfare of his troops. That is leadership, and that is what will make him a better sheriff than his opponent. Crider served his country in the US Navy and in 22 years at the FBI. He deserves our respect, as do the other men & women in the Sheriff’s Dept. Another letter compared sheriff’s deputies to the brown shirts of Nazi Germany. In the sheriff’s race the majority of the deputies and many of their spouses have taken an enormous risk by speaking out in support of Crider to be the next sheriff. And this person compared them to Nazis? That was completely disrespectful to people who put their lives on the line for us every day for low pay under dangerous working conditions. We should respect those deputies’ right to be led by someone they respect, someone who has more & varied experience than they do, someone who has the discipline, knowledge, and leadership skills to protect them and all of Walla Walla County. Someone who gained those skills in the military & in law enforcement. The training & experience Mark Crider brings to the sheriff’s office could not be learned on the football field or in security at an expensive private college.

Mark Crider’s opponent makes much of the fact he was born & raised here. Much is made that his father was in law enforcement here. But that father wasn’t born here, and yet he was hired here. Why the hypocrisy now? We should respect all Walla Walla County residents, whether they got here yesterday or 100 years ago. We should respect the fine officers of the sheriff’s department by voting for the person the vast majority of them endorse as their clear choice for our next sheriff: Mark Crider. He is honorable, kind, intelligent, innovative, funny, and very good in his leadership role at the Sheriff’s Office. Cast your ballot and do the right thing. Please.

Virginia Romine

Waitsburg