Potter County Dem. Sheriff Candidate

Potter County is going to have a new sheriff after the November election. The current sheriff has been indicted for a felony and a class A misdemeanor, and could not overcome opposition in the Republican primary.

Potter County is a pretty Republican county, but there is a Democrat running to become the new sheriff. His name is Robert Taylor (pictured above). Being fairly new to Amarillo (my job sent me up here about a year-and-a-half ago), I didn't know anything about Taylor until recently. But I work in a branch of law enforcement, so it's very important to me that we have a competent man in the sheriff's office.

At the Democratic county convention on March 29th, I was able to meet Taylor and have a good conversation with him. I must admit I was impressed. I found him to be intelligent, articulate and very knowledgeable about law enforcement. In addition, he was a nice guy who was very easy to talk with.

After meeting Robert Taylor, I'm not just supporting him because he's a Democrat. I really think he'd make a great sheriff that everyone in Potter County could be proud of. Let me tell you a little bit about him.

Robert Taylor has been a resident of Potter County for 43 years, and graduated from Palo Duro High School. He has been married to the same lady for the last 31 years, and they have four children - a son and three daughters. He is a Vietnam-era veteran of the United States Army, and has a law enforcement degree from Amarillo College.

He also has the right experience for the sheriff's job:

Amarillo Police Department 1978 - 1985

Potter County Sheriff Department 1990 - 2003

Amarillo International Airport Police Department 2004 - 2005

Amarillo College Police Department 2005 - Present

PatrolmanField Training Officer FTO

Corporal

Shift Sergeant overseeing patrol functioms

Cross Trained in the Detective Division

Corrections Deputy working in County Jail

Patrol Deputy

Jail Sergeant/Shift Supervisor

Patrol Sergeant

Crime scene Investiagtor/AFIS Operator/Fingerprint classification

Evidence Officer tracking evidence and forfieted narcotics, guns, alcohol and misc items.

Radio Dispatcher at both APD and Potter County Sheriff Departmen.

Maintained fleet management over mileage and fuel consumption

Uniform Crime Report officer at Sheriff’s Department

Taylor has experience both at the jail and on patrol. He knows what must be done to solve the problems at the county jail. He also told me he wants to expand patrols in the county.

In our conversation, I pointed out that Potter County is a Republican county and asked him if he had a chance to be elected. He tells me he has a lot of Republican friends and associates, and he believes many of them will cross party lines to vote for him. Frankly, after the strong Democratic turnout in the primaries, it wouldn't take a whole lot of crossover votes to put him in office.

We have a real chance to put a Democrat in the sheriff's office this year - a man who would return dignity, honesty and competence to the office. But as with any elected office, it takes money to get the word out about a great candidate. I'll be sending a donation to Taylor soon, and I urge you to do the same. Even a small donation would be appreciated. Donations can be sent to:

Taylor Campaign

P.O. Box 31121

Amarillo, Texas 79120

Change is needed in Potter County. Electing Robert Taylor would be a great way to start.