To the Voters of Allegany County, I respectfully submit the
following: I have known Walt Mackney since we were classmates at Scio Central
School. After graduation, we both pursued careers in law enforcement with
different agencies.
Walt began his journey at the Cuba Police Department and
served a few years as a Deputy Sheriff with the Allegany County Sheriff’s
Office. Walt then joined the New York State Police as a uniformed State
Trooper, progressing to assignments in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and
eventually a promotion to Senior Investigator assigned as Commander of the
Southern Tier Regional Drug Task Force.
Myself, on the other hand, began with the Allegany County
Sheriff’s Office serving for 36 years, retiring as a Sergeant. During that same
time frame, I spent 16 years to present with the Alfred Police Department and a
couple of years with the Wellsville Police Department as a patrolman.
It can be very stressful working for an agency that possibly
will endure a leadership change every four years. Likewise, the possibility of
the uninformed deciding who will be your leader can be troublesome. More
disturbing, is an environment lacking leadership, poor management, and the
alienation of the work force. Including the current administration, I
personally worked under 6 different Sheriffs during my career at the Sheriff’s
Office.
There have been extraordinary changes over the past 40 plus
years. Specific to Allegany County, we are faced with the loss of a major
industry, as well as the national dilemmas of terrorist threats, the opioid
epidemic, school safety issues, the tragedy of broken families, and the
challenges of the technology age.
The citizens of Allegany County have a very important
decision to make this fall influencing our future. We need a strong,
intelligent, experienced, dedicated, leader as Sheriff to face these future
obstacles. The Voters of this County need to take pause and cast their vote
with sound thought.
Sometimes, silence carries a larger message then the loud screams
from the mountain tops. This is one of those instances.
There is a huge message being provided to the citizens in
helping them make this critical decision. Speaking with many, the vast majority
of the County's Law Enforcement Professionals are supporting Walter Mackney for
Sheriff. There is no question in their minds who is the most qualified
candidate. Additionally, the conscientious voter must consider all the
supporters who remain silent out of fear of retaliation, restrictions within
election laws, and agency policies prohibiting political opinions.
The election this fall is not a popularity contest. It is a
process devised to fill the position of the highest-ranking Law Enforcement
Official in the County. It is a decision that will affect the future of the
agency, the community, and the residents of our County. We need a Sheriff who
will provide leadership and direction, support the employees, and provide
safety and security for the County's citizens.
Please join me, along with past and present Law Enforcement
Professionals on Primary Day, September 13th, and Election Day November 6th, in
voting for the truly qualified candidate for Allegany County Sheriff, Walter
Mackney.
Respectfully,
Sgt. Charles A. Thompson, Jr.
Allegany County Sheriff’s Office (Retired)