From the True Idaho News editorial board:
There’s going to be a new sheriff in town, and no matter who it is, there will be many unhappy people. Ada County Commissioners will be voting Friday, July 2 to appoint a new sheriff after the resignation of Steve Bartlett, and the decision seems to have boiled down to two options: Doug Traubel, or Matt Clifford.
The rules for replacing a sheriff state that the replacement must be from the same political party as the outgoing sheriff, but the differences of opinion in Ada County as to who that should be are quite stark. Unfortunately, it’s a reflection of the polarization that’s happening in our society – and within the Republican party.
The number one choice for sheriff as voted on by Ada County Precinct Committeeman is Doug Traubel, who joined the Ada County Sheriff’s Office (ASCO) 27 years ago after serving nine years with the Chula Vista police department.
Their third choice was Matt Clifford, who’s been with the ASCO for 21 years, and was named Chief of Police in Eagle in 2019. The Ada County Republican’s second choice, Mike Chilton, who was with the sheriff’s office for 16 years between 1994 and 2010, doesn’t seem to have gained traction.
Traubel and Clifford are both Republicans, but one stark difference exists between the two: One is vigorously endorsed by Democrats.
Ada County has two Republican commissioners (Rod Beck and Ryan Davidson), and one Democrat commissioner (Kendra Kenyon). During the candidate interviews on Wednesday, Democrat Commissioner Kenyon could not have been more clear that she was not there to interview Doug Traubel, but to chastise and castigate him.
Kenyon took statements from Traubel’s writings out of context and attempted to paint him as a sexist and a racist. As she asked Traubel questions, her facial expressions were interpreted by many as contemptuous and her voice tone was described as taunting. There’s no other word for it. Kenyon was combative.
It is the opinion of the True Idaho News editorial board that Kenyon’s vitriol and accusations were definitely out of line and could easily be classified as conduct unbecoming of a County Commissioner. She was not seeking answers from Traubel out of any true curiously, she was, at best, only acting curious, and that was obvious to many.
Another entity that’s been smearing Traubel and taking his statements out of context is a leftist activist group which calls itself “The 97%.” This group claims to be mainstream, but its leadership is decidedly leftist, and so are its positions.
That begs the question for Commissioners Beck and Davidson: Do they want to replace an outgoing Republican sheriff with someone who is heartily endorsed by Democrats and Leftists?
During the interviews on Wednesday, Traubel was clear about his stance: He will not play politics – he will enforce the law and not play favorites. But even that position was spun and twisted to imply that Traubel would not cooperate with other law enforcement agencies.
True Idaho News believes law enforcement officers should not be afraid to do what they know is the right thing to do, regardless of the political consequences. For example, if a Leftist mayor is instructing her police chief to not enforce established laws, someone still needs to protect citizens. This is the responsibility of a sheriff, and Traubel made the best case that he would uphold his oath and fulfil that responsibility.
The Idaho Statesman says that Clifford would be the least controversial choice. With all due respect to the editorial board at the Statesman, that should not be the reason someone selects a sheriff. Additionally, their endorsement is full of smears and falsehoods regarding Traubel, which, sadly, has become the norm in “mainstream” media.
Idaho needs sheriffs who will not bow down to political pressure or to federal agencies that overstep the law. The editorial board at True Idaho News believes that Doug Traubel is the candidate best suited to do that. For that reason, we strongly recommend that Ada County’s Commissioners choose the number one choice of the Ada County Republicans. Doug Traubel should be Ada County’s next sheriff.
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