For the longest time, the editors of WMD have been watching this race and we admit that our allegiences have changed several times as new information about both candidates was presented and either conformed or debunked.The climate in the race has been heated and tense. Conventional wisdom indicated that while the incumbent might be vulnerable, the challenger was controversial. The scrappy challenger is young Rawnica Dillingham who's claim to fame is that she used to work for the Butler County Commission and now is a leader for a non-profit called Mental Health Matters. The champion is Chuck Furmon, a multi-termed incumbent and a 30-year veteran police officer.
Unfortunately for Ms. Dillingham, her storybook tale doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Early on, we tried to engage Ms. Dillingham and receive some answers to critical questions about her character. A fellow blogger who was neutral in the race was encouraged by us to contact Ms. Dillingham and see if she would answer those questions but she blew him off twice.
It was at that point, that we began to dig a little deeper in to Ms. Dillingham's record. And the record shows her to be unfit to hold public office.
At about this time, one of our editors met Mr. Furmon and he was impressed. Unlike Ms. Dillingham, Mr. Furmon went out of his way to meet with us and make sure that we were provided with as much access and information as we asked for.
What we like about Mr. Furmon and his record is that he clearly understands what local government is and what is should and should not do. His focus on regional development and county infrastructure demonstrates a level of competence that soars above the competetion and serves as a reminder that ultimately whomever we elect must actually lead this county. When a Butler County Sheriff got shot and nearly killed, it was determined that the county was in dire need of updating their radio equipment in order to improve the response time of emergency services. Mr. Furmon took the lead and made sure that the county got what was needed. There has been some criticism of the move, but we believe that Mr. Furmon took approriate action in response to the situation and acted in good faith with the support of the people who live and work in Butler county.
Mr. Furmon has stated that he believes that he still has work to do and wants the opportunity to continue. We believe that he deserves that opportunity to continue serving our community and are proud to announce our endorsement of his candidacy.
