Opinion

Letter to the Voters of Benton County: Ted Paxton

Dear Residents, I'm Ted Paxton and I am seeking the office of Sheriff in Benton County. I have been a Benton County resident since 2014 and I currently serve as the Chief of Police in Vinton. The selection of whom you choose to serve you as your next Sheriff is an important one. My opponent and I agree on two things. The first is that Benton County is a great place to live and raise a family, second, there is a need for a new direction in the Sheriff's Office.

Please take time to read...

...the articles concerning the Candidate Forum. At this event those that were present were able to get a better feel for the candidates that are running for office. I get asked a lot my opinion on who I'm voting for and I will tell you. However, in these three articles, I've done my best to print pretty close to verbatim what each candidate said using my poor quality audio.

Letter to the Editor: Support for Ted Paxton

Dear Editor,During my tenure as Mayor of Eldora, Iowa, Ted Paxton was the Police Chief.  He did a fine job in this position. I considered him a man of integrity and a hard working individual. He had good relations with community members and I appreciated working with him. Sincerely, James R. Brown

Letter to the Editor: Support for Ted Paxton

Dear Editor, In 1998, I met a small-town Police Chief who understood what community policing was before community policing was an expectation. This Chief of Police knew how to make a budget stretch and oftentimes to get those things he needed and wanted, he would have to work a little harder, go farther and negotiate to get them. Then sadly, this small town Police Chief moved on to work for a bigger department, worked his way through the ranks and became the Eldora Police Chief.

Letter to the Editor: City of Urbana fails to Provide Protection

Dear Editor, The City of Urbana has failed to provide its citizen with regular law enforcement. We had an incident in our neighborhood with a bunch of underage kids drinking and peeing in the street, etc... in the wee hours of the morning. The wife of the gentleman whose yard this happened in wanted him to call the sheriff. His response is what we all feel.

Letter to the Editor: Support for Ted Paxton

To whom it may Concern.I urge that Ted Paxton be elected Sheriff of Benton County, Iowa. I have known Ted for the past 14 years and I am positive he has all the personal attributes and professional experience to excel in this important position.There is a crying need for a new hand at the wheel in the Benton County Sheriff’s Office. Ted has the necessary education and experience to excel at this very important position.

Letter to the Editor: Support for Ted Paxton

Dear Editor, As the Chief of Police for the City of Urbana, I wanted to send a letter supporting Ted Paxton for Benton County Sheriff. I have known Ted personally for about seven years. After completing the Cedar Rapids 49th Basic Police Academy in 2021, Ted allowed me to work for him as a part-time Police Officer for the City of Vinton. Ted is an outstanding leader and mentor for all officers under his command.

"These meetings are being interrupted too often," Sincerely, The Interrupter

I was planning a non-working day off on Tuesday, bad idea. Bad. It's Supervisor meeting day. I opened one eye, turned on YouTube and up popped the Supervisor meeting. Expecting a dull and boring meeting...I was wrong.  The Supervisor meeting was underway, making it through the usual business, approving the county engineer's presentations, a cigarette permit for Kimm's Mini-Mart, a claim from Historic Preservation was discussed and tabled all without a hitch.

Believe them when they tell you who they are

Well, the government does work on Sunday and on holiday weekends. This past Sunday while looking at the list of stories that I need to finish, I received a much anticipated email. The lawyer representing the Benton County Supervisors replied to the Iowa Public Information Board and nine of us who had filed complaints with them. As part of our "settlement" a "timeline" of a closed session was to be given to all of us.

Living in the present, remembering the past #10

Dear Editor:I was honored to be asked to speak at two separate Memorial Day Services, the following is the first invited by American Legion Post 57, Vinton, Iowa.  I was a Copilot on the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 310 Air Refueling Squadron U.S. based at Plattsburg AFB, New York, Strategic Air Command Memorial Day 2008---- This is an example of the hand salute.
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