By Dave Schuman
I’m a candidate for the elected office of Sheriff in Boundary County, Idaho. After I declared my candidacy, and after a law enforcement career spanning decades with this Sheriff’s Office, I was suddenly subjected to a personnel action initiated, in the view of many, for purely political reasons, and designed to defeat my candidacy.
I am prohibited from disclosing all the facts surrounding this action, but have noticed that through social and other media, a good deal of speculation has taken place about this action, and I want to make some things clear to make sure the voters are not misled.
1. I recently retired after a long Peace Officer career in this county with a clean record and no discipline. I retired because I have been eligible to do so for years. Speculation and concerns about the timing and the reason for my “personnel action,” is that it was motivated and furthered by political considerations.
If I hadn’t retired, and the process persisted until the election, I might have been prevented from speaking out on vital public matters, as required by the ongoing procedure. By choosing not to retire to uphold my First Amendment freedoms, I couldn’t ensure my ability to honestly convey information throughout my campaign; my effectiveness would have been severely limited.
There is no other reason for my retirement at this time, and I want to end any further uninformed conjecture about the reason for it. Simply, the reason is that I believe our county should have the most qualified and experienced local Peace Officer, to navigate the tough years that lie before all of us in Boundary County, and in this country. I believe I’m that man, and intend to demonstrate through this “personnel investigation” the truth of the matter, which I believe is simply this:
It’s a political game. I don’t play games. I intend to show through my ability to speak freely about the real issues facing this Sheriff’s Office, that the people of this county can’t be fooled by “personnel actions” into voting against their best interests, and I sincerely believe my candidacy is in their best interests.
2. Speculation circulating in social and other media regarding this “personnel action” and the motives behind retiring at this juncture has largely been based on inadequate information. I’m running and retiring because it needs to be done to ensure the truth about these matters come out, and I can’t do that as an employee of the Sheriff’s Office.
I’m fully prepared to demonstrate and prove that the “personnel action” that caused public attention was primarily politically motivated. At present, I am unable to divulge all the evidence, which may lead to unfounded speculation, however, I can inform you that the allegations are baseless.
Individuals knowledgeable about the pertinent issues and unjustly support these assertions, will be pursued through legal recourse. Rest assured, truth and justice will prevail, and you may learn a lot about who leads this county.
3. I didn’t serve others in law enforcement here or in my U.S. Army career, for a total of over 44 years, only to become ‘UNQUALIFIED’ to serve as Sheriff.
Due to the First Amendment rights, I now enjoy as a retiree and political candidate speaking on matters of serious public concern, I intend to prove it to the people of Boundary County during this election campaign, and beyond.
This type of political attack hurts families and friends. It has hurt my family a great deal and is not what our County is all about.
Entities within this county are leading us inadequately in certain crucial aspects. Our focus should be on safeguarding our families, friends, and neighbors, rather than engaging in cunning political tactics aimed solely at concealing undisclosed matters related to the performance of these entities’ responsibilities.
I say, there should be transparency in all areas of government, other than ongoing investigations.
I intend to conduct my campaign that way, which will encompass discussions surrounding this “personnel action” that have sparked significant attention in the current Sheriff election.
My platform is simple: Our county Sheriff should protect and serve us using the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
My name is Dave Schuman, and I’m running for Boundary County Sheriff.