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Sheriff Ron McNesby Campaigns In Walnut Hill
July 4, 2008
Escambia Sheriff Ron McNesby brought his campaign message to Walnut Hill Thursday night, talking budgets, crime and more.
“If I stood up here and told you what I am going to do the next four years, you would have to ask me what I did the past eight years,” McNesby told the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club.
The sheriff said he was proud of the job he had done as the county’s top law enforcement officer and that he was especially proud that there more deputies than ever on the county’s roads.
“We not increased our budget in two years,’ he said. “We have actually decreased about two million by cutting 83 funded positions.”
“But we have not laid off any deputies or detention deputies, and we won’t do that,” he said.
One the sheriff’s department biggest budget challenges has been the rising cost of fuel in a department that uses about 45,000 gallons a month, McNesby said. “It’s hard to budget for that.”
On crime, the sheriff said crime in Escambia County has increased less than one percent in recent years, while nationwide statistics have soared.
The recent Florida Taxwatch study on Escambia County government reported that the sheriff’s budget is 52 percent of the overall county budget, but that report notes “but it must be mentioned that this is not unique to Escambia County.” (Click here for the NorthEscambia.com story on the Florida Taxwatch report and a link to the report.)
After the report, there was a call for a more in-depth look at the Escambia County Sheriff’s Department budget. But McNesby pointed out that his budget had increased just 17.93 percent from the report period of 2001 to 2006. The report says that the Board of County Commissioners’ budget increased 68.13 percent during the same period and increases for most other constitutional officers in the county were also in the 32 to 48 percent range.
“The sheriff that needs to be looked at has increased just 17.9 percent, or about three percent per year,” McNesby told the Ruritan members.
Several of McNesby’s opponents have criticized the expense of helicopters used by the department.
But the sheriff defended the value of the helicopters, citing a recent case where the helicopter was used to locate a missing Alzheimer’s patient and a case where it was used to locate another missing teen.
“His family is with him today because of the helicopter,” McNesby said of the Alzheimer’s patient. “And ask the mom of that boy if it is worth it.”
Pictured above: Escambia Sheriff Ron McNesby addressed the Walnut Hill Ruritan Club Thursday night. NorthEscambia.com exclusive photo, click to enlarge.
Comments
2 Responses to “Sheriff Ron McNesby Campaigns In Walnut Hill”
The Ruritan Club affords any candidate a set amount of time to speak at their meetings. The next meeting is August 7. I will send you an email with contact details.
It was very nice of the Ruritan Club to invite Sheriff McNesby to speak. I’m sure they are aware that there are 3 other candidates in the sheriff’s contest. Might they expect an invitation to speak at a meeting prior to the August 26th primary? A vibrant democracy cannot exist when the people are not afforded the perspectives of all candidates in a given race.