Orlando Sentinel columnist Lauren Ritchie hit a bull’s-eye when she wrote that Gov. Jeb Bush should appoint Sheriff’s Chief Gary Borders to finish the term of the late Sheriff Chris Daniels.
Daniels would not want to see an outsider take over the Sheriff’s Office. He had righted the sinking ship that former Sheriff George Knupp left behind, and morale was at an all-time high. Daniels had restored faith in “his” department, making himself accessible to all employees, and he was on track to have the Sheriff’s Office accredited by the end of this calendar year.
Borders knows firsthand the dynamics of running the Sheriff’s Office, as well as the vision that Daniels had put into motion. The contrast between how the two sheriffs came to leave office is like day and night. Knupp was charged criminally with lying to a grand jury, and Daniels died on his birthday raising money for the Sheriffs Youth Ranch in a tragic accident.
The employees at the Lake County Sheriff’s Office have been through enough in the last three years. First, Knupp left office in disgrace. Last year, Deputy Wayne Koester was murdered when he responded to a call of a domestic dispute. And now Daniels.
For the sake of the men and women in the department and the citizens of Lake County, Bush should appoint Borders. This is not the political thing to do. It’s the right thing to do.
Chris Blackmon
Montverde
