Mike Williams: Why I Want To Be Your Next Sheriff

[Metro Jacksonville]

Mike Williams: Why I Want To Be Your Next Sheriff



Mike Williams pens a short guest column explaining why he is running for Sheriff of Jacksonville in the upcoming election.  A seasoned, veteran cop, Williams will be contributing a few op ed pieces over the next two weeks about some of the issues confronting Law Enforcement in the coming years.  Join us after the jump for his introductory essay!

Read More: http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2015-may-mike-williams-why-i-want-to-be-your-next-sheriff

[menace1069]

So that's a nice bio/starting paragraph, but let's get to know you by telling us what you want to do; how you plan to do it; so forth and so on. I am still undecided and I don't lean towards the traditional Democrat or Republican status so what I hear from the candidates actually matters and I am sure that there are others who feel the same way. I want to vote for the candidate because I believe that they have a foothold on what needs to be done and how to do it...I don't vote for the party.

Let's a see a response, Mike.

[tufsu1]

^ the main thing I have heard from Williams (and from several JSO officers) is that he is about the status quo.  There is very little fault he finds in the way Sheriff Rutherford has done things over the past decade.

For example  Williams says in the article "want to ensure it remains a national leader in law enforcement as well as community model for relationships with partner organizations and the citizens we serve."

is this how most people in Jax. would describe JSO?

[Tacachale]

This is a tough race for me. I really like both candidates, and my preferred candidate was knocked out in the runoff battle royale. I do appreciate Williams' qualifications. I look forward to reading more of what he has to say.

[coredumped]

I really don't understand why Mike Williams isn't for body cameras and radios for the media. Orlando is getting body cams so his argument isn't very valid about privacy.
This thing alone is concerning.

[AmeliasMum]

I have heard him speak a few times - he says he isn't opposed to body cameras. He wants to be sure the JSO and the City roll that out right.
I was psyched to hear him at the debate speak about where he doesn't agree with Rutherford. He seemed mad about the loss of officers. He said he wouldn't have let that happen. I think he could bring a fresh approach to JSO keeping the good that is there but tossing what is stale and killing morale. He seems to really believe in the officers and want them to be able to bring their best to Jax.  He seems to want to make it about the officers, not just the "top cop".

[Jax native]

http://floridapolitics.com/archives/182682

Florida Politics has to be on his payroll.   I hate the fact i losing respect for Tony's journalism so fact.  His articles are now like watching Fox News. So damn partisan, it's creepy. 

[Jax native]

Will Mike Williams answer any questions from MJ readers? 

[Jax native]

Thanks, it would be great to get some answers straight from him. 

[brainstormer]

I would like to see him distance himself from Rutherford, as I don't think Rutherford has been a very good sheriff. If you look at the Sheriff's budget over the years, it has actually increased over time. In my opinion, Rutherford's decision to cut officers was political. He hasn't been a good financial steward of the JSO budget. I plan to vote for Williams as I think he is the most qualified. The fact that he is being endorsed by a whole bunch of "good old boys" doesn't impress me at all. It goes to show he supports the thinking of their generation. If you look around our county, the thinking of the "good old boys" isn't really doing us any good when it comes to police-community relations. I understand that Jacksonville loves status quo and that typically seems to get you elected around here. Real leaders don't settle for status quo, which is really William's only weakness.

[Bike Jax]

During One Spark, since I kinda captive to my area and was interacting with lots different police officers, I decided to ask them who they wanted as Sheriff. I told them I didn't didn't need their reason, just a candidate they prefer to work under.

I talked to 40 different officers over the period of One Spark, 30 answered, and was surprised that overwhelmingly 28 of the 30 preferred Jefferson. When a reason was given, it was because Jefferson "offered a complete personal change of leadership."

[Keef11]

I live in a neighborhood with a bunch of cops.  They all like this guy.  I have heard him speak on TV and listened to the debate.  He blew Jefferson away I thought.  Jefferson seemed old and tired and how long has it been since he actually worked?  Williams just needs to distance himself from Rutherford but overall I think he is the most qualified

[menace1069]

I have heard him speak a few times - he says he isn't opposed to body cameras. He wants to be sure the JSO and the City roll that out right.
I was psyched to hear him at the debate speak about where he doesn't agree with Rutherford. He seemed mad about the loss of officers. He said he wouldn't have let that happen. I think he could bring a fresh approach to JSO keeping the good that is there but tossing what is stale and killing morale. He seems to really believe in the officers and want them to be able to bring their best to Jax.  He seems to want to make it about the officers, not just the "top cop".

So that's part of my concern...he may be a great cop who's worked with every department within the organization, but does he have the management aspect down. Can he balance a budget? How can a candidate state that they wouldn't let that happen? Unless you are in the room analyzing figures, you just can't say that you wouldn't let that happen. There are budgetary restraints on ALL budgets.
On a side note, what gets me about politicians are the blanket statements like that that they make, especially when they are not the incumbent. If you have never held the positions of mayor/sheriff/senator/tax collector/etc...then how can you make a statement and expect the voter to take you seriously without you backing up your statement with a plan? (Thanks for allowing the venting.)

[MikeWilliams]

Good morning everyone - seeing this dialogue is exciting. I wanted to carve out some time today join you all in this discussion. So let me jump right to the great questions you have posted here. i will be back later today as well to continue the conversation. Thanks!

[MikeWilliams]

I have heard him speak a few times - he says he isn't opposed to body cameras. He wants to be sure the JSO and the City roll that out right.
I was psyched to hear him at the debate speak about where he doesn't agree with Rutherford. He seemed mad about the loss of officers. He said he wouldn't have let that happen. I think he could bring a fresh approach to JSO keeping the good that is there but tossing what is stale and killing morale. He seems to really believe in the officers and want them to be able to bring their best to Jax.  He seems to want to make it about the officers, not just the "top cop".

So that's part of my concern...he may be a great cop who's worked with every department within the organization, but does he have the management aspect down. Can he balance a budget? How can a candidate state that they wouldn't let that happen? Unless you are in the room analyzing figures, you just can't say that you wouldn't let that happen. There are budgetary restraints on ALL budgets.
On a side note, what gets me about politicians are the blanket statements like that that they make, especially when they are not the incumbent. If you have never held the positions of mayor/sheriff/senator/tax collector/etc...then how can you make a statement and expect the voter to take you seriously with your backing up your statement? (Thanks for allowing the venting.)

As far as the budget management goes, I can tell you when I was Director of Patrol & Enforcement I managed almost $200M of the agency's budget - both in personnel and operations. Every two weeks, I would go over line by line to see where we were at and what issues might need to be addressed before an overage occurred. I made sure I could explain what we spent and why, not only to the Sheriff but also to the officers. It helped them better understand what challenges the agency faced. Those challenges are not going away but I am committed to showing not only the officers but the community what the agency is doing with the budget.