Sheriff hopefuls square off

As the three candidates for Flathead County sheriff talked at a Thursday forum about themselves and their ideas for improving the office, one candidate denounced what he called a developing "smear campaign."

Mike Meehan, Bruce Parish and John Weaver are all Republicans, running for the chief law-enforcement position in the county.

Sponsored by the Whitefish Chamber of Commerce, the forum included prepared questions for the candidates and a half-dozen or so questions from the audience.

The candidates talked about their experiences and visions for change for the office, but the mood changed when Debbie McPherson, a former employee at the Hope Ranch, asked Weaver why he left his position at the private facility for troubled girls.

"This is an important issue that I've been plagued with for some time and I want people to know the truth," Weaver replied.

He said he hired a program director and her husband, a counselor, and let them go for reasons he can't discuss because of privacy issues. They started a program in their own home and "she called clients and tried to discredit me and tried to discredit the ministry," Weaver said.

"In my opinion, there should have been some people arrested," he said.

"I decided to leave Hope Ranch for the integrity of the program and the ministry" after turning around a deficit and expanding the program, he said.

But McPherson wanted another shot, which was denied by moderator David Boye. Weaver leveled his own at McPherson, saying he would resist airing why she was no longer employed at the ranch.

In his final minutes to speak, Weaver said: "There has been a lot of background noise in this particular campaign."

It's "taken a significant toll on me personally and my family … I had no idea what I was getting into."

Weaver said he had believed, naively, that "this community supported something other than a smear campaign."

Weaver is the outsider in a race that includes two current officers in the department.

In his introduction to the crowd, Meehan said he worked as a patrol officer in Houston before moving to the Flathead Valley. He began work in patrol at the sheriff's office in 1991. He has worked as commander of the drug team and was promoted to corporal, sergeant, and then to undersheriff in 2005.

Parish, a Flathead Valley native, served in law enforcement in the U.S. Air Force for eight years. He was hired as a patrolman in the sheriff's office in 1991 and currently serves as commander of detectives and the SWAT team. Until last month, he was in charge of the 911 emergency center.

Weaver is general manager of Rocky Mountain Builders. He moved to Whitefish in 1994 after a career that included firefighting in New York; patrol, detention and dispatch work in Missouri; and working for the U.S. Department of Justice. He has worked in prison facilities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

The candidates summarized their concerns about law enforcement in a rapidly growing county.

Meehan said methamphetamine is a problem he plans to fight aggressively. He also is concerned about the jail that was recently found to be used almost exclusively for felons awaiting trial. Finally, he plans to devote a full-time deputy to tracking and supervising the 400 registered sexual and violent offenders in the county.

Weaver said he is concerned about more than 2,000 warrants that are waiting to be served in the county. Low-cost alternatives to jailing nonviolent offenders are crucial now, he said. He said he believes having four deputies patrolling a county the size of Massachusetts is inadequate. He wants to do a better job of protecting children and seniors.

Parish said law-enforcement officers can investigate crimes and enforce laws, but it is the county attorney's office and judges who are responsible for handing out sentences and keeping criminals from returning to the streets. He supports minimum mandatory sentences for crimes. Crooks evolve as officers catch on to their methods and the best way to prevent crime is to have officers visible in the community, he said.

The candidates agreed that working with other law-enforcement agencies and the public is important. They agreed that drug enforcement and education are essential.

They disagree on whether a major-crimes unit is needed at the sheriff's office.

Meehan said it's needed for investigation of violent crime and other cases.

Weaver said taxpayers can't afford any more increases and he doesn't agree with starting new programs until funding is available.

Parish said he posted an announcement for formation of a major-crime unit and got no volunteers. He said the department already has the people and tools to solve major crimes. What it needs are saturation patrols, using one officer per shift, to deter crimes before they happen.

Weaver said the sheriff's office is "about 20 years behind the times." He received approval from some people in the crowd by talking about making offenders work off their offenses in an environment that doesn't include luxuries such as air-conditioning and cable TV.

Meehan supports work-release programs so convicts can keep their jobs but still serve time. He favors using a collection agency to track down scofflaws who don't pay their fines.

Parish's concern is that every alternative to jailing - including prisoner labor and low-security facilities - requires hiring personnel to guard and watch prisoners.

Reporter Chery Sabol may be reached at 758-4441 or by e-mail at csabol@dailyinterlake.com