Citizen First; Cop Second

In my campaign for Sheriff of McHenry County, I am finding that voters are responding to my motto of "Citizen First, Cop Second."

What do I mean by this?

I believe that the Sheriff of a county must realize that he serves the citizens and residents of his county and that he must observe and respect their rights under the Constitution of the United States and the State.

And I believe that law enforcement officers should be the first to obey the laws, not the last.

I believe in the motto that is stenciled on many police cars: "To protect and to serve". It's not "To deflect and to swerve". And not "To protect and to serve us", when spoken by cops.

The office of sheriff should be held by a leader, a person of highest integrity. This person must respect the rights and the character of others. He may, from time to time, have to make some hard personnel decisions. That's what he is elected to do and what he is paid to do.

And he should be fair in these decisions. He should not engage in any personal vendettas. He should not engage in ongoing, losing lawsuits that waste taxpayers' money. He should work with his official legal representative, the State's Attorney for the County.

So, when you step into the voting booth on November 2, you'll have only one choice, if you want a "Citizen First."

For sure, I do not have the "cop mentality." I have challenged abuse of police power for more than 30 years. Everywhere I have lived, I have objected to failure of police officers to obey laws; for example, in Denver, Fort Collins (Colo.), Kansas City (Kans.), Los Angeles, Richmond (Va.), Chicago, Woodstock (Ill.), McHenry County (Ill.).

November 2? Vote for Gus!