Opinion : Letter to the Editor: Support for Ted Paxton

My name is Garrison Reekers and I would like to express my support for Ted Paxton as the next Sheriff for Benton County.

I worked for 31 years in law enforcement, the last 15 plus years were with the Benton County Sheriff's Office prior to leaving in January of 2022.

My career allowed me to work in the Military, City Police Departments and Sheriff's Offices. I am the current Safety Director for neighboring Tama County but still reside in Benton County. I am offering my support for Ted because I know how important experience in administration is for an elected official.

As Sheriff, there is a responsibility to manage several employees including admin staff, dispatchers, jail staff and deputies. With many employees also comes a large budget to manage. This can be a daunting task for anyone that has experience with employees and budgeting and an even greater task for someone that has little to no experience in that area.

As a Benton County Deputy and specifically when I was a detective, I worked closely with the Vinton Police Department and Chief Paxton. Ted had a commanding but not overwhelming presence that made working together easy on several investigations and placed justice for the victim not about credit for anyone working the case. I think he is a leader that will promote cooperation with other agencies and brings a long and diverse background in law enforcement to support his goals and objectives.

Now having to manage a budget with my current position, I now know the importance of electing someone with experience in this area. I had previous experience running a small business that taught me some important aspects but that is different from running a budget under a government entity and my current budget pales in comparison with the Sheriff's Department budget and personnel.

As a resident and a taxpayer, I am looking for someone with experience in handling budgets, personnel and managing a law enforcement agency. Only one of our candidates has this experience and these are the reasons I encourage you to support Ted Paxton as our next Benton County Sheriff.

Garrison Reeker