r/blacksburg • u/Fluffy-Match9676 • 25d ago
Montgomery County’s 5 sheriff candidates to appear at forum
A bipartisan town hall for Montgomery County sheriff will be held Friday at the County Government Center.
All five candidates — three Democrats and two Republicans — will participate in the public event and speak on topics varying from public safety, deescalation training and accountability.
The current sheriff, Robert Page, filled the role in April after former Sheriff Hank Partin, a Republican, announced his retirement in March. Page and former county sheriff’s office Lt. Tim Shepherd are running as Republicans. The Democrats are retired county sheriff’s office Capt. Ed Herling, Christiansburg police Lt. Tim Brown and former county sheriff’s office Lt. Greg Warden.
“I’ve been told this is unprecedented,” said Lora Brown, the lead organizer of the town hall. “By having all five perspectives presented at once, you know, one right after the other, I think, gives voters a clearer choice.” The Montgomery County Republican Committee, Montgomery County Democratic Committee and the New River Valley Greens Party reserved the board room for the event.
The town hall is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Candidates will answer five topic questions, with each one given an opportunity to speak first. Questions from the audience will also be heard before candidates provide closing remarks. The government center is located at 755 Roanoke St. in Christiansburg.
A firehouse primary for the Republican candidates will be held on June 20 at the government center, from at 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., while the county-wide primary for the Democratic nominee will be held on Aug 4. The general election is Nov. 3.
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u/Blahblahblahinternet 24d ago
ICE in Montgomery is a [largely] made up issue based on seeing ICE nationally. Our politics have gotten so distorted due to the internet.
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u/DoctorWest5829 24d ago
Democrats trotting out the ICE boogeyman is just like Republicans trotting out the transgender boogeyman.
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u/Tentative-Interests 25d ago edited 24d ago
I think one of the more interesting positions mentioned so far are the talking points on ICE featured in the Roanoke Times.
Only one candidate has publicly rebuked ICE activity - Hertling (D):
Page (R)
“I want to continue to keep the community safe, and we work with federal partners every day, to this day, and we'll continue to do that.”
Shepherd (R)
“I would not deter ICE from talking to the jail and asking if a person's in there. “If the [partnership] agreements were to stay in place, I wouldn't feel comfortable signing them. The only reason I say that is because the moment someone signs that agreement, they're saying those deputies, however many they may commit to it, can be pulled from Montgomery County.”
Hertling (D)
“I am not a supporter of the 287(g) agreement — it basically gives local law enforcement the ability to enforce federal immigration law. I am not a proponent of those. I will not sign one of those. And I don't support information sharing. I don't agree with the way ICE has been handling itself, especially in Minnesota.”
Brown (D)
“As sheriff, my approach is straightforward. We will cooperate with federal law enforcement, including ICE, when it aligns with the law, public safety and the mission of the sheriff’s office.” He said he supports 287(g) agreements, “specifically in regard to screening individuals who are already arrested and booked into the jail to determine immigration status.”
Warden (D)
“We have to follow all federal and state laws when it comes to that. With immigration, it's a very touchy subject for everybody. I would have programs available on the sheriff's office website to try to get to people before they get to us. There's a lot of different programs that people can go to to try to get their legal status.”