Vote Kent Vander Kamp for Deschutes County Sheriff ▶ [With Video]

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SW

Like it or not, the present election for the next Deschutes County Sheriff plays as a referendum on current Sheriff Shane Nelson. Under his leadership, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office has been plagued with lawsuits and personnel complaints that have not only put a stain on the office, but cost county taxpayers plenty, to boot. The people of this county deserve a fresh start — one far from the current mode of retaliation, secrets and infighting.

A corruption-free office should be the goal of any governing body. But given the fact that some of the biggest challenges Oregon faces — namely, drug addiction, the brand-new deflection program designed to address it, and homelessness — depend heavily, in this region, on the efficacy of the sheriff's office, we would all do well to pay very close attention to who leads this particular office.

So, how do we move on from this culture of retaliation?

That's been the central question as this editorial board has wrestled with this endorsement.

One candidate, William Bailey, has a host of good qualities and a strong background. He's a Coast Guard veteran. He's worked in every department and now serves as a captain and Patrol Division commander. In his former role as public information officer for DCSO, we found him to be a professional, responsive public servant. Those are all admirable qualities.

But given the body of knowledge the public knows about the issues at DCSO under Nelson, we question why Bailey has not done more to distance himself from the culture of retaliation that has been widely reported about DCSO. He's Nelson's hand-picked successor, and that's got to be a hard row to hoe. Distance yourself from your boss now and risk retaliation in the short term, or distance yourself later, in hopes that your reputation will be spared when your boss' retirement party is over and done? For the sake of the 200,000 some people who live in Deschutes County, we would have liked to see the former. When we asked him about this issue during our interview with him, Bailey seemed to downplay the very real issues that so many in the office are experiencing. We believe voters are looking for a more definitive break from the past here.

Kent Vander Kamp has also worked at DCSO for some time — long enough, in our estimation, to potentially absorb some of the same habits and leadership qualities of his boss. We say that because when we call for a "fresh start," we're aware that this fresh start isn't exactly like spring cleaning. But in the end, this race is largely about optics, and in an office where corruption, retaliation and hand-picking successors have been modes of operation even before Nelson was appointed to his position in 2015, we need the closest approximation of a fresh start as we can get. We think Vander Kamp can offer more of that.

Some have pointed to Vander Kamp's "moonlighting" as a mortgage company owner as evidence of his lack of commitment to the office. We share that concern, and our inquiries into whether Vander Kamp continues to work two jobs were met with some inconsistent answers.

At this point, Vander Kamp should make it clear to the public, as many times as it takes, that should he be elected sheriff, he'll devote himself to that job and that job only, as it's a gigantic one. Still, that concern about the operations of a business that he and his wife share does not outweigh the need to move on from a culture of internal strife at DSCO.

Whoever wins this race will be tasked with the tough work of bridging divides; of bringing together an office where sides have been taken; lines in the sand drawn. We don't envy the person who has to roll that behemoth up the hill, but in the interest of a cleaner break, our endorsement goes to Vander Kamp.

WATCH: Our interview with Kent Vander Kamp and William Bailey: