To my Republican friends.

Please come out and vote in the primary. This year is particularly important as there is a contested race for sheriff. I am supporting Richard Branche for sheriff. I have seen first hand, people who get a chance to meet and talk to Rich quickly become supporters.

Rich Branche has been a lifelong Republican. The other candidate switched parties back in December. One is conservative, the other is a 5-month Republican.

The sheriff is unique in law enforcement. The sheriff reports to the people not a politician. All others report to the governor, mayor, etc. Therefore the sheriff is independent.

The current actions of the Sheriff’s Office concern me. The sheriff is not a county-wide controller of all law enforcement. The sheriff should be a peace officer not a SWAT team. I do not want our Sheriff’s Office to be aligned with the FBI or state police. They need to be separate. How can a sheriff serve the people and the federal government. Which one is more important? One might ask why so many fine officers have left the department since the current sheriff took over.

Rich Branche has a resume that is very impressive. His experience and training far surpasses that of any other candidate. One of his goals is to implement procedures and policies that are sorely needed. Budget and cost saving is also important. Above all his honesty, fairness and devotion to duty will make us proud.

I believe the article linked below says it all.

https://www.tnonline.com/20220124/dems-recommend-zeigler-for-carbon-sheriff/

Jim Nelson

Jim Thorpe