Taylor County Sheriff Candidates Are Grilled By Residents At Forum

It started out with each candidate taking 5-10 minutes to speak about themselves and what they have to bring to the race.

"Bringing that experience and knowledge to the Taylor County Sheriff's office in the last three and a half years has been a learning experience but it's also been such a satisfying portion of my career," says Sheriff Les Bruce.

Candidate Ricky Bishop says, "I believe that my experience through starting at the bottom and working my way up, I know what the department needs, how the jails work, and what equipment, what the needs are for the officers in the department."

Candidate Art Casarez added, "At this time that is what it's going to take. Hands on experience, leadership, and minimizing controversy that don't need to be there."

Following each speech there was a question and answer session, which is when things really got heated.

One audience member asks, "The changes you're speaking about, why, you've been sheriff for three years, why all of a sudden are you doing the changes?"

Bruce responds, "It's something that we identified even before I actually took office and something that you work on obviously in a county government such as Taylor County it takes a lot of money to fund these type of things."

Taylor County residents had no problem getting straight to the point and asking the questions that really mattered to them, even the situation that occurred at the Tea Party's last public forum where Sheriff Les Bruce was asked to partake in a urine analysis.

"It's my understanding that Mr. Bishop went ahead and went that urine analysis. But I also understand that you didn't, Mr. Bruce, you didn't feel like that was warranted," says another audience member.

Bruce responds by saying, "There must be reasonable suspicion from a reasonable source. Again, as I said, I have not one problem taking a drug test, but it is going to have to be from a reasonable source. It is not going to be in a public bathroom at any restaurant in this county."

Art Casarez also voiced his opinion in the matter and said as a sheriff, Bruce has an obligation to do what the citizens are asking of him, "Because there's too many people talking about it. There's a shadow that's been cast over that one little incident."

All three candidates fielded some pretty tough questions at tonight's forum.

Voters still have time to make a decision.

Primary elections will be held on May 29th.