Campaign Blog

10/20/08

Boudreau better than Bouchard

This article appeared in the Hometown news.

Boudreau better than Bouchard

Taxpayers and deputies deserve a better sheriff.

While earning a $130,969 Sheriff's salary in 2005 and 2006, Michael Bouchard was away from the Oakland County Sheriff's Department for long stretches of time while running for the U.S. Senate. He lost that election but his job as sheriff was waiting for him when he returned from the campaign trail in 2006.

Looking ahead, the media has reported party leaders have approached Michael Bouchard about running for governor, a position he has admitted he wants. This begs the question: "Does Michael Bouchard truly believe that Oakland County taxpayers should continue to pay his sheriff's salary in 2009 and 2010 while he is, again, absent from Oakland County, actively campaigning for a completely different job?"

Paying an absent sheriff's salary, however, seems to pale in comparison to other decisions Michael Bouchard has made as sheriff. For example, closing the Sheriff's Department boot camp program - a military type rehabilitation program which serves as an alternative to incarceration. Since the program was established, it saved taxpayers of Oakland County $18 million and helped alleviate jail overcrowding.

Also during Michael Bouchard's tenure as sheriff, Oakland County chose not to apply for its share of nearly $600 million in federal funds made available to state and local municipalities to purchase communication equipment which would allow police, fire and other emergency responders at all levels of government to communicate with one another in the event of large scale disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina or the 9/11 terrorist attack. Instead, Oakland County chose a radio system which is not eligible for those funds and cost county taxpayers $43 million to purchase and another $3 million per year to operate.

Recently, the Sheriff Deputies' Union officially endorsed Jane Boudreau as their candidate for sheriff. The last 25 years of my life have been devoted to supporting law enforcement and corrections officers. Longer than that, I have paid taxes. There are too many good people working in the Sheriff's Department today, and money is simply too tight for funds to be mismanaged. Which is precisely why I believe Jane (Felice) Boudreau should be our next sheriff.

Karie H. Boylan

Rochester Hills

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