Sheriff, commission hopefuls make their case

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
Incumbent Nodaway County Sheriff Darren White speaks during Thursday’s candidates forum at the courthouse. White, unopposed in the August Democratic primary, will face the winner of a two-way Republican contest during the November general election.

The combination of opening night for the Nodaway County Fair and a couple of contested local races resulted in an unusually large crowd for Thursday’s August primary “candidates forum” at the courthouse hosted by Maryville Citizens for Community Action and the Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce.

One statewide candidate spoke during the evening. Former U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan is seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in the Aug. 2 primary in a three-way race against state Rep. Tommie Pierson Sr. and musician Winston Apple.

In brief comments preceding presentations by local candidates, Carnahan, the son of the late Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan, stressed his commitment to public service and ability to seek consensus across party lines.

Republicans campaigning for their party’s nomination for lieutenant governor include attorney Bev Randles, state Sen. Mike Parson, and A.C. Dienoff.

Also speaking at the outset of Thursday’s forum was 1st District state Rep. Allen Andrews, a Republican, who is unopposed for re-election to a second two-year term.

Cameos aside, the real business of the evening revolved around dialogue between four candidates for North District county commissioner and three candidates for sheriff.

The commission hopefuls include retired farmer Merlin Atkins, who is running unopposed on the primary ballot as a Democrat, and three Republicans: insurance claims adjuster and businessman Chris Burns, business owner Luke Giesken, and Larry Haataja, a self-employed consultant who is semi-retired after a long corporate career as a telecommunications engineer and manager.

Seeking election as sheriff are incumbent Darren White, unopposed in August and running as a Democrat, and Republicans Randy Strong, a retired Maryville police detective, and Jamie Vicker, a Nodaway County deputy.

During the commission portion of the forum, all four candidates started off not with matters of policy or politics but with statements emphasizing their religious faith.

“I made a commitment to God when I was 12,” said Atkins, who for nearly 20 years has helped lead the Nodaway County Ministry Center food pantry.

“My life has been about commitment,” he said.

Atkins said his experience with the center has brought home to him the importance of economic development, and especially the need for more jobs that pay a living wage. Too many working families, he said, face “food insecurity” and other challenges tied to poverty.

While encouraging growth and enterprise is important, he said, the county should seek to attract businesses that create not just jobs but prosperity for those who lack basic necessities.

Burns led off his remarks by noting his involvement with St. Gregory Barbarigo Catholic Church, then shifted into a summary of his business background and civic activities, which include membership on the City of Maryville’s Planning and Zoning Board

Giesken noted that he was a church deacon, then added that running his own welding shop and serving as a volunteer firefighter for 25 years demonstrated his ability to manage a budget and his commitment to public service.

Haataja began by referencing his work as a Sunday school teacher, adding that he has had a “lifelong interest in politics” and pledging to work as a “full-time” commissioner.

Unlike the other three candidates, Haataja offered a specific platform, saying that he would seek to bolster spending on roads and bridges, improve jail facilities, and eliminate “the drug culture that we have in this county.”

While Atkins and Haataja’s two GOP opponents addressed those issues as well, he was the only candidate who set forth a formal list of priorities.

On other fronts, there was not much to distinguish the four hopefuls from one another. All said transportation infrastructure — rural roads and bridges — is the county’s top challenge, and that an effort on the part of some residents to eliminate Polk Township’s planning and zoning rules was a matter for the voters to decide.

As for the recurring issue of confined animal feeding operations — code for large-scale swine and cattle feedlots — all said they would support such enterprises as long as they were properly regulated and the interests of landowners protected.

Issues taken up by the three candidates for sheriff included a perceived need for greater cooperation with other law enforcement agencies and improved conditions at the Nodaway County jail.

Strong emphasized his nearly 40 years of experience as a police officer and investigator and involvement in high-profile investigations, such as the Bobbie Jo Stinnett murder and kidnapping case in 2004.

Claiming that his varied background, including working undercover on drug cases as a deputy U.S. marshal, qualifies him for building bridges between local, state, and federal jurisdictions, Strong pledged to reactivate the Northwest Missouri Major Case Squad and the Child Abduction Response Team.

Vicker, a Nodaway sheriff’s deputy since 2005, said that, if elected, he would “bring back respect to the Sheriff’s Office and make things professional again.”

He pointed to his technology background, which comprises several years of investigating cyber crimes, including a number of child pornography cases leading to convictions.

Vicker said he would seek to provide more training for deputies on various aspects of criminal law while emphasizing cooperation with other agencies and departments, specifically the Northwest Missouri State University Police Department.

Though neither Strong nor Vicker mentioned White by name, the sheriff was quick to address what he clearly perceived as criticisms of his administration.

“During my seven and a half years as sheriff we have moved forward,” White said. “Things have improved and continue to get better.”

Among other reforms, White said he was the first sheriff to implement 24-hour patrols by road deputies, a policy that went into effect shortly after he first assumed office in 2009.

He also disputed claims by Vicker that jail conditions are substandard, countering that while the county would certainly benefit from a new jail, efforts continue to make the 30-year-old facility as functional and efficient as possible.

“I believe that it is prudent to work within the county’s budget, to take care of what we have, and to do the best we can with what we have,” White said.

As for accusations that White has failed to adequately communicate with citizens and other law enforcement agencies, the sheriff maintained that accessibility and cooperation have been hallmarks of his administration.

White said that “the little things,” which he defined as courtesy, respect, and access, “do the most for people” and ultimately help solve crimes.

Unlike other law enforcement officers, White said, sheriffs are elected officials and directly responsible to citizens.

“You can hide behind the cloud of municipal or state agencies,” he said, “But I am responsible to the citizens of Nodaway County. People say ‘the buck stops here,’ and it does. It stops at my desk and my phone.”

TONY BROWN/DAILY FORUM
One Democrat and three Republicans seeking the office of North District county commissioner spoke during Thursday’s candidate forum at the courthouse. Pictured standing at the podium is Merlin Atkins, unopposed as a Democrat in the August 2 primary. Pictured from left are Republican hopefuls Chris Burns, Larry Haataja, and Luke Giesken.