Desmond: 6,000-8,000 People to Participate in Gilboa Warrior Dash

Schoharie County Sheriff Tony Desmond informed town supervisors and residents alike Friday morning that six to eight thousand people are expected to participate in a warrior dash at Nickerson Park in the Town of Gilboa on Saturday, July 26th to raise money for St. Jude Children's Hospital. 

The dash, which is being organized by the Chicago based Red Frog Productions, and is one of several similar events across the United States, will take place on Stryker Road and is scheduled to last from 8:00 a.m. until 11 p.m that day. Red Frog has actively reached out to the local Sheriff's Office, State Police, and other agencies for assistance. 

One concern is the number of participants estimated to sustain some form of injury on the 3.2 mile course, which is mostly over mountainous terrain. Organizers have pinned the number at fifty to seventy five - from minor cuts to serious injuries - but they will have medical attention available on scene with community squads in backup. 

Alcohol is typically consumed at these events and Red Frog Productions will have its own security team on site, but if past warrior dashes are any indicator as to the atmosphere of proceedings, Sheriff Tony Desmond quoted the number of arrests from a previous event at Windham just a few years ago: zero. 

For more information on this event please visit its official webpage. 

Marine One a Hit with Desmond

President Barack Obama's visit to Cooperstown was primarily focused on tourism, which he hailed the Baseball Hall-of-Fame for exceeding in, but it was also an opportunity for local officials to receive face time with the leader of the free world, or in Schoharie County Sheriff Tony Desmond's case - Marine One.

Desmond, who was re-elected to his second term in the Sheriff's Office last November, was present for Marine One's landing in Cooperstown. Meanwhile, at the Hall-of-Fame, Sharon Springs Mayor Doug Plummer and other area officials greeted the President's speech with local hospitality. 

Desmond: SAFE Act is "Another Step Toward Total Gun Control"

Schoharie County Sheriff Tony Desmond had plenty to say about the controversial SAFE Act at the April county board meeting held on Friday afternoon, but none of it was good for Governor Andrew Cuomo's signature piece of legislation that has faced stiff resistance across Upstate, New York.

Telling Supervisors that the measure is, "another step toward total gun control," Sheriff Desmond remained firmly in opposition to the unpopular restrictions. He would later go on to add that the department has not been questioning local citizens on whether they possess assault weapons as deemed illegal by the state, remarking that they, "don't have the time for that."

The Sheriff was invited to address the issue by Carlisle Town Supervisor Larry Bradt when a previously scheduled speaker was unable to attend the board meeting. Mr. Bradt has led legislative efforts opposed to the law since its conception and commented publicly Friday that, "the Sheriff's Office will not be going door to door," to enforce its restrictions.

Concluding his comments on the matter, Sheriff Desmond reminded the public and supervisors alike that, "Schoharie County is a little different than Schenectady, Albany, or Troy," whereas they are use to crime on a regular basis, we know how to both use and respect firearms in our rural confines.

Sheriff Desmond Backs Howe Caverns Casino

Cobleskill, NY – Schoharie County Sheriff Tony Desmond on Monday afternoon announced his support for the proposed casino to be sited at Howe Caverns.

“I believe a casino in Schoharie County would have no real impact on our public safety,” Desmond said.

“In fact, I believe that providing more jobs and opportunity for our residents would deter crime that otherwise occur in a tough economy,” Desmond continued.

Desmond also stated that he would welcome working with casino management to help develop a comprehensive plan for the overall security at the casino, all its adjacent properties and the County as a whole.

“I would welcome a strong partnership with the casino management and security team to ensure a safe environment for residents and visitors to our County,” Desmond said.

Desmond, who also served as former Supervisor of the Town of Sharon, mentioned that a casino would also bring a much needed to boost to the local economy.

“I know that specifically in the Town of Sharon and the Village of Sharon Springs there are many good ideas and proposals for economic growth and this could help jumpstart those plans as well as others throughout the county,” Desmond said.

Additionally, Desmond referred to the effect flooding had on the area in 2011 and how creating a tourist destination could help rejuvenate the county.

“I saw first-hand the devastation caused by the flooding in Schoharie County.  It was not only devastation of property, but of morale and spirit as well. The plan to create a world class entertainment destination could be the turnaround that Schoharie County needs,” Desmond concluded.

Poll: Readers Approve of Sheriff Desmond's Job Performance

Schoharie News readers, by a margin that closely resembles the November election, approve of Sheriff Anthony Desmond as head of Schoharie County's law enforcement apparatus. Mr. Desmond, who previously served as Town of Sharon Springs Supervisor, was recently sworn into his second term in office.

Do you approve of Sheriff Desmond's job performance?

Yes - (132) - 52%

No - (112) - 44%

Undecided - (8) - 3%

And vote in our new poll on our sidebar!

New Poll Up: Do You Approve of Sheriff Desmond's Job Performance?

In this new poll, we are asking readers to weigh in on whether they approve or disapprove of Sheriff Tony Desmond's performance as head of Schoharie County's law enforcement apparatus. The Sheriff was re-elected to a second term in November, receiving slightly less than fifty percent of the vote.

 

This poll will be open until Friday and is located on the right-hand sidebar on the Schoharie News website.

 

Note: The results of our previous poll, asking who readers supported for County Board Chairman, were disqualified due to vote-rigging by supporters of Mr. Van Glad and Mr. Skowfoe, which is very unfortunate considering the importance of the poll topic.

Official Results: Desmond Claims 49.87% of Vote, 12 Towns in Solid Victory

The Schoharie County Board of Elections has released their official results for last month's hotly contested election cycle, which shows a solid victory for incumbent Sheriff Tony Desmond over his two fellow law enforcement officers - Cobleskill Police Chief Larry Travis and Deputy Sheriff Todd Ethington - with 49.87% of the vote in the 2013 race for Sheriff.

Towns that supported Desmond are red, Travis are Blue and Ethington are yellow

Even more impressive was Sheriff Desmond's town-by-town dominance across the county. From his hometown of Sharon Springs to Conesville the incumbent Sheriff carried twelve towns overall, while both his opponents won just two each: Chief Travis in Blenheim and Cobleskill; Deputy Ethington in Jefferson and Summit.

 

Interestingly enough, this marks the second consecutive election where Sheriff Desmond has lost Cobleskill but still managed to build a large enough base of support across the rest of the county to offset the population center's more than fifteen hundred votes, which went by a healthy margin to their hometown candidate this time around.

 

But now that all is said and done, officially, all three men can return to their positions as law enforcement professionals with last November's race in the past and the protection of Schoharie's citizenry, regardless of who they supported, as their top priority in the present and into the future.

Assermblyman Lopez Endorses Desmond for Re-Election

With Schoharie County's contentious three way Sheriff's race set to reach its ultimate conclusion on Tuesday, incumbent Tony Desmond received a significant endorsement from Assemblyman Pete Lopez in a letter yesterday that praised him as a "thoughtful, motivated and conscientious person."

 

 

Opinion: Both Desmond and Travis Fine Choice for Sheriff

The Schoharie News brought our readers three informative and wide-ranging interviews with each of next week's candidates for county sheriff back in September, with the end result being a better understanding of where each candidate stands and one very unsure editor of a then small news project.

 

All three offered strong first impressions and came off as knowledgeable in the field of their collective expertise. Sheriff Desmond and Chief Travis particularly impressed me, while Deputy Ethington had a certain charm about him.

 

However, in the end, the office of sheriff is one of the more honorable positions in local government. It carries a distinct job description that ultimately could lead to its occupants harm or even death, as occurred in this county when Sheriff Henry Steadman was murdered by a prisoner who concealed his revolver in 1930, and because of this the individual we put in charge of it must be of the highest caliber. With great power comes great responsibility and as such the decision must not be made lightly.

 

Which is why the Schoharie News is proud to endorse both incumbent Tony Desmond and Chief Larry Travis for Sheriff in next Tuesday's election.

 

We honestly believe that after months of consideration and learning about both men, that either would effectively serve the citizens of Schoharie Count atop our law enforcement apparatus: Sheriff Desmond holds a loyalty and passion for the men and women who work under him that speaks volumes, while no one could touch the respect and admiration that Chief Travis has for enforcing the law.

 

Both men understand the threat that illegal drug use poses to our residents and have effectively waged an offensive on their particular drug of expertise. The result of which has been the removal of drugs and thugs from Schoharie County's communities, with the Sheriff's department combating marijuana and Cobleskill police cracking down on heroin use.

 

Obviously it is impossible to vote for both candidates and only one can win next Tuesday. That decision is ultimately up to a majority (or in this case, likely a plurality) of voters who make their choice at the ballot box and our only advisement is that they take the time to consider both viable candidates and reach a conclusion without allowing outside forces, or fringe candidates, to cloud their judgment.

 

Oh, and as for the unsure editor, his vote next Tuesday is still yet to be determined.



Interview: Sheriff Tony Desmond

Sheriff Tony Desmond's law enforcement career began in 1967 as a road patrol officer: the lone State Trooper in Schoharie County, covering a jurisdiction of 626 square miles, and after serving one four-year term that saw both his department and jurisdiction devastated by Hurricane Irene, he's standing before the voters in hopes of securing a second term.

This time on the Republican line.

But it wasn't always that way. Desmond, who was first elected four years ago on the Democratic, Conservative and Independent lines, started our conversation by stressing he was "never a Democrat,"  and that in 2009, he "didn't want to try and get the Republican nomination and get knocked down," because two candidates had already declared and that he simply re-registered as an Independent. Today, he is again a registered Republican.

However, the politics behind Desmond's blurred political lines appeared to be the least of his concerns moving forward.

Photo Compliments of Desmond's Campaign Site

The Issues

Sheriff Desmond's first priority for a possible second term is to "get a public safety building and jail back in this county," which he hopes FEMA makes a decision on. He added that his department and FEMA have "good relations," something that was evident when the Sheriff's office was able to avoid laying off correctional officers by having them patrol and secure the FEMA trailers that were housed at Guilford Mills.

The Sheriff also wants to work with the County Board of Supervisors, of which he was previously a Republican member of from the Town of Sharon Springs, to hire another 9-1-1 dispatcher and road patrol deputy, stating that right now there are not "enough people to go around."

The Candidates

When asked for his opinion of his two opponents this fall: Cobleskill Police Chief Larry Travis and Deputy Sheriff Todd Ethington, Sheriff Desmond commented that both are "good men," and that they "have the desire to be sheriff of this county," even going so far as to call Chief Travis a gentlemen, although he wasn't so kind of his subordinate - saying "I don't know about his experience," dismissing his position as a road patrol officer.

SAFE Act

Of course no conversation would be complete without a discussion of the infamous NY SAFE Act, which Sheriff Desmond reminded me that he is "still opposed to" and that he believes was put in place to "override the second amendment." In another interview he has said that he had no intention of enforcing the law.

In conclusion

After sitting down with Sheriff Desmond for roughly an hour, I can tell he still has the fight in him to protect and serve Schoharie County residents, reminding me as our conversation neared its end that if anyone has objections with his department to take it out on him... and him alone... and not the deputies who serve these great communities.

Opinion: Keep Politics Out of Drug Enforcement Policy

Sheriff Tony Desmond, speaking to WNYT in early September, offered this comment concerning a joint operation between his deputies and members of the New York Army National Guard in a pot-eradication mission that led to the destruction of hundreds of marijuana plants: "I would dare say that marijuana is the biggest thing in the county as far as illegal substances."

As an outside observer looking into Schoharie County's struggles with illegal drug use and our various law enforcement agency's efforts to combat it, I see merits to both Sheriff Desmond's hard stand against marijuana and Cobleskill Police Chief Larry Travis' equally rigid crackdown on heroin use in his jurisdiction.

Chief Travis' force, according to a February article published by the Cobleskill paper, have arrested six individuals for possession of heroin, which has only recently spread to our rural confines, and another four for intent to sell since mid-2012, making it a high priority for the Cobleskill police.

However, in recent weeks, I have noticed a more political tone in drug enforcement debates by the supporters of both Sheriff Desmond and Chief Travis, who are running against each other in this fall's sheriff election, either praising one for their particular crackdown, or criticizing the other for lack of.

And it is really starting to aggravate me.

Both men are law enforcement professionals with decades of experience under their belt and both have successfully targeted a particular illegal substance within their jurisdiction: Sheriff Desmond - marijuana; Chief Travis - heroin, essentially one department is complimenting the other. And while I'm sure there is more work to be done by both forces in combating illegal drugs in this county, there is no doubt that one mission is no more important than the other and that both are vital to upholding the law and protecting our citizenry.

With that said, could we focus on a productive law enforcement plan that involves both departments - with their particular specialties in two of the worst illegal substances we as a county face - along with the stationed State Troopers not only sharing intelligence and working together to fight the influx of harmful drug use, but also in merging their separate missions to form one potent, highly competent law enforcement apparatus to tackle the scourge of all drug use in our beautiful county.

This is an issue where law enforcement and citizen alike should unite behind a broad drug enforcement policy of containing the spread of marijuana, such as in operations conducted by the Sheriff's department, and nipping the dangerous threat of heroin infesting our community like Chief Travis' force has so effectively done, and put aside the political rancor that neither the electorate nor a position as honorable as the sheriff's office deserves.