Answers to McDonald Candidates Questionnaire

Please refer to Questionnaire form for the political candidates in McDonald County.
SHERIFF POSITION: Brandon Beshears
1. The United States is, indeed, a Republic, not a Democracy.Accurately defined, a Democracy is a form of government in which the people decide policy matters directly. A Republic, on the other hand, is a system in which the people choose representatives, who, in turn, make policy decisions on their behalf.
2. I have 13 years of law enforcement experience with four of those years as a chief administrator of police department. I was hired with the Anderson Police Department and continued with this department a little over 6 years reaching the rank of Chief Investigator. I served one year as Lanagan Police Chief. I was Granby Police Chief for over three years.
3. To change the image and operations of the McDonald County Sheriff's Dept. and to provide fair, honest, and professional law enforcement services to the people.
4. Yes, the more training a deputy can get, the more efficient the department will be.
5. Yes, but only under standard Law Enforcement Civil Service Exams.
6. Yes, a physical agility test will be implemented during the hiring process along with a complete applicant
background investigation including credit reports, etc. A written exam, medical exam, and psychological testing will be conducted on all applicants. A physical agility program will be established and exams conducted on an annual basis on all the departments' road deputies and jailers.
7. All County Deputies while in the performance of their duties, will be dressed in department issued uniform shirt and pant, with a department approved white under shirt only and black uniform boots or shoes (no ball caps). At no time will a deputy or reserve deputy conduct normal (official) business out of uniform. This alsocoincides with my decision that all personnel while conducting any type of traffic control or traffic enforcement will use only a properly marked identifiable patrol vehicle. No more private owned multi-colored vehicles will be conducting traffic stops if I am elected to this office.
8. No deputy will accept gratuities in any capacity. A deputy will make an attempt to pay for his or her drinks,
eats, etc. If a deputy is caught accepting fee drinks or lunches without making an attempt to pay for it, a written counseling or reprimand statement will be filed for the first offense.
9. My ethics background and professionalism in law enforcement is well known in several counties in the Southwest Missouri area, which will help attract well qualified applicants and reserves.I will also work on implementing new technology for the department and find ways to improve the current pay, insurance and retirement benefit packages for the employees. As for the recruiting of reserves or new applicants a job fair will be introduced at the Police Academy on the campus of the Missouri Southern University.
All Candidates Questionnaire:
1. Yes
2. I support the Constitution of Missouri and the United States in its entirety. I am under oath.
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. Yes, however, I do feel discretion should apply on certain laws.
6. Yes, but no worse than any other county or state
7. Yes, unfortunately illegal drugs are an issue throughout the United States, not just McDonald County.
8. Yes I do.
9. Yes
10. I am not clear on what you are asking with this question. Are you asking if I feel this Use Tax was good or the fact that it was rejected twice is good?
11. It depends. If the plan could provide a clearer and an informative justification for the ballot issue the second time, then I'd say yes. In my opinion, if the Use Tax had been explained thoroughly to the citizens and a plan to terminate the Use Tax after a period of time for the project had been presented, I feel it would have passed.
12. For the county side of this question, I feel that we need more local specialized ordinances for the county.
13. No. New minds add new ideas.
14. No.
15. Yes
16. People
17. Grants are beneficial; however, regulations do apply and sometimes lead to expensive long term commitment. I don't feel all grants should be overlooked for certain funding.
18. Yes
SHERIFF POSITION: R. M. Everson
1. The United States was founded as a Republic. No doubt about that. A Republic is a form of government where the citizens elect representatives to their government to conduct the business of government. A true Democracy is when every person has an equal voice in every issue. Not a very efficient way to conduct a national government which has grown as large as ours has.
2. The skills and experience I will bring to the job of Sheriff of McDonald County include a prior tem as Sheriff of the same county. I also bring a total of 19 years of law enforcement as of the 8th of April of this year. I have earned a B.S. in Criminal Justice Administration as well as an A. S. in Law Enforcement both from Missouri Southern in Joplin. I also attended the University of Tulas Law School for one year back in 1994/95, but decided that I didn't want to be an Attorney and that I missed Law Enforcement too much.
I worked for four years at the Noel Police Department. I worked at the Marshal/Chief in Pineville when Lloyd Perkins retired, then moved to Barry County Sheriff's Office in Cassville as a detective in 1994 where I have been ever since other than my term in McDonald County Sheriff. I am currently a detective with the Barry County Sheriff's Office.
3. I would like to be elected Sheriff of McDonald County because I feel that I have a lot to offer by serving in that position. I want to be able to serve my home county in a position that I have been trained for.
4.Would I have my deputies I.C.E. certified? This is one of those questions that does not have a simple answer. It depends on the costs and availability of the training as well as the prospective cooperation that we would receive from the Federal Government in enforcing Federal Immigration Laws.
5. Would I have my deputies civil service qualified? No, as a former Sheriff, I can tell you that while most deputies are hard working and honest and want nothing more than to be an honest cop, there are those few who are not. I would not wnat to get saddled with the previous Sheriff's trash and not have a way to get rid of them.
6. Physical fitness and weight control programs are good ideas for law enforcement.
7. I believe that law einforcement officers should look like law enforcemnet officers. I don't like black uniforms or BDU's for everyday wear. There's a place for BDU's but is is not for everyday patrol. Manhunts, marijuana eradication, river patro, etc. but it is not the image that a professional law enforcement organization should project.
8. Gratuities. Ok, her;s one that is complex. Not complicated but it needs a little more that a short answer. I don't think an officer should accept gratuities unless it is the business' blanket policy to give a discount to all police, fire, EMS, etc. personnel.
9. Attracting qualified personnel. Fo some time now, McDopnald County and its cities have been training grounds for larger and better paying police agencies. I don' know what the answer is to that problemother than to pay better to keep the good ones around. I think as Sheriff, it would be my responsibility to try to make the work environment the best it can be and to be supportive of my personnel and expect no less of them.
ALL CANDIDATES
1. I have studied the Constituions of Missouri and the United States in High School, College, and Law School as well as our various legal updates that I have attended through my continuing education as a law enforcement officer.
2. I support the Constitution of our country and our state in its entirety.
3. I support the Bill of Rights in its entirety.
4. I support the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution. You ask if I support it without excetion. My feelings are that convicted felons, mentally unstable people and habitual users of dangerous drugs should not be in possesion of firearms. I feel that we have more than enough gun control laws on the books as it is and they are not enforce with any degree of regularity. I am all for the common citizen being allowed to carry a firearm concealed upon their person.
5. I do believe that there is an illegal immigration problem in McDonald County. I understand that most of the immigrants in McDonald County want nothing more than a better life than what they had in their home country, but I also understand that the U.S. is a nation of laws and while I may have some sympathy to their plight. I still understand that it is a violation of law for them to unlawfully enter into and remain in the U.S.
7. I believe that there is an illegal drug problem in McDonald County as well as in the rest of the State and counties.
8. I believe that all county agencies as well as state, city and federal need to work together for the common good.
9. I do believe that we can work with state and federal agencies without be subjugated.
10.I believe that the Use Tax that was twice voted down was a good idea, but maybe on that either was not wanted by the people of McDonald County, or not understood by the same people. Even though I think it was a good idea, the people have spoken twice on the issue and it is now a moot point.
11. I think that once a ballot issue has been put to the people one time, then it should be a reasonable amount of time before it is re-submitted.
12. Less Government, less taxes and ordinances, and laws should address a real need. I also think that when an ordinance or law has outlives its usefulness, it should be repealed and done away with.
13. I believe that the County Commissioners should appoint the best qualified people whio are willing to serve to the boards and commissions. To me, this means that if it is the same people over and over, the so be it.
14. Elected officials are not ow able to give themselves pay raises other that acting as a salary commission on the county level.
15. I believe that large expeditures of public money should be made public prior to the spending.
16. County money belongs to the people of McDonald County and is entrusted to the County Government for its use to provide governmental services. No question and no elaboration needed on this point.
17. Federal grants ca be a very good thing They can help a governmental organization start, fund , operate and complete a project with much less difficulty in finding funding for big ticket projects.
18. Yes.