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Third candidate joins Lee County sheriff race
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There’s a third candidate in the race to be Lee County sheriff.
The new candidate, unlike incumbent Sheriff Mike Scott and challenger and former sheriff Rod Shoap, is staying quiet.
Christian Meister says only that he won’t be making any statement until he makes a formal announcement.
“I will make an announcement in the near future, probably in about two weeks,” he said.
In 2003, Meister ran for the governorship of California as a write-in candidate. He received two votes.
Meister won’t talk, but Scott will talk about him. Scott says Meister washed out of the Southwest Public Service Academy in 2005.
Scott quoted instructors’ reports that question Meister’s motor skills, temperament and confidence.
“It’s clear he wasn’t up to LCSO standards,” he said.
Meister sued the Sheriff’s Office and Scott in 2006, claiming he was discriminated against because of his Austrian background.
With Meister running without party affiliation, Scott said his entry likely won’t affect the race.
“It’s still a 2-horse race,” he said. “Historically, it’s the Republican primary that dictates who the sheriff is going to be.”
Challenger Rod Shoap said he knows nothing about Miester.
“It does close the primary if he qualifies,” he said.
Four years ago, a write-in candidate qualified, closing the primary to all but Republican voters. Scott got 62 percent of that vote. The write-in candidate then dropped out, leaving Scott unopposed in November.
A write-in candidate doesn’t pay a qualifying fee, however, and it would cost Meister $5,953, which is 4 percent of the sheriff’s $148,825 salary. Both Scott and Shoap must pay fees of $8,929.50, which is 6 percent of the salary.
Shoap said he doesn’t know what a third candidate means to the race.
“It’s a great question. I just don’t know the answer to it,” he said.
Scott said Meister’s getting into the race too late to be a legitimate candidate. He says even Shoap, who began his campaign in March, came too late.
“I’d suggest the middle of 2007 was really the witching hour,” he said.
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Support candidates who will vote to make ALL government files available online to the public for free.
BAD examples:
http://www.leeschools.net/
http://www.sheriffleefl.org/
#1 Posted by jacktanner on May 22, 2008 at 9:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Sheriff should STOP the 49% REBATES received from the cost of INMATE collect phone calls.
Stopping the rebates should reduce the cost paid by families and others who pay to receive the collect calls.
Rebate is near one million dollars annually.
Sheriff should restore incoming mail with ENVELOPES to inmates.
Postcards restrict private messages and printed papers.
Sheriff should repair or replace, within four (4) hours, INMATE telephones that do not work.
Sheriff should STOP employees who search houses, from dumping and scattering personal effects, and require they return items not confiscated, to the original storage place.
Sheriff should make complaint forms available from every officer.
Sheriff should stop employees from putting NON-VIOLENT people in METAL handcuffs and leaving them over 15 minutes in a locked room.
#2 Posted by jacktanner on May 22, 2008 at 9:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
...and criminals should stop committing crimes so they would not have to worry about envelopes and collect calls from the jail.
#3 Posted by Sayswho on May 23, 2008 at 12:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
jacktanner.....
WHAAAAAAAAA!!!!
#4 Posted by yourmama on May 23, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sayswho,
Not all people who go to jail are criminals. Sometimes people are held until trial and in this country we are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Jack, welcome to the real world.
Jack I saw your statistics about the increase in the Sheriff's budget on another blog. Don't you think you should take into account the dramatic increase in population between 2001-2007 and the increase in offenders?
Printing stats without taking into account other factors doesn't paint the whole picture.
#5 Posted by MarthaSimons on May 23, 2008 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Jacktanner,
You have obviously had some brushes with law enforcement. All of your demands are from the viewpoint of an inmate / criminal. Perhaps you should try and look at things from the perspective of the victim. You are either a criminal or a nasty liberal.
#6 Posted by Jama on May 23, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
jacktanner=inmate lover
You should be more concerned with the rights of the victims of the crimes that all your buddies in jail have committed.
Meister couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag let alone run an agency.
Shoap is a buffoon and has proven it in the past with his antics.
Mike Scott is the best choice, but he needs to get a handle on violent crime in Lee County.
#7 Posted by youwilltapout on May 23, 2008 at 9:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Jacktanner,,,i heard that the ACLU is looking for a few good men,,,:-),,,,
youwilltapout,,,, well said,,,,,,,
Ed Kent
#8 Posted by Bullbat on May 23, 2008 at 10:33 a.m. (Suggest removal)
jack knows all about Lee County Jails he was in one back in January 2007
#9 Posted by Blackflag on May 23, 2008 at 2:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
jack, you still owe me the collateral for your bond.
#10 Posted by slash on May 23, 2008 at 3:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
NDN should stop all Jack Tanner blogs
Jack if the phones are broken you have solved problem 1 on your list.
#11 Posted by buster1 on May 23, 2008 at 8:58 p.m. (Suggest removal)
What's wrong jack did not like the way you where treated when you got busted back in Jan. of 07
#12 Posted by Blackflag on May 25, 2008 at 12:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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