IMPORTANT SHERIFF’S RACE IN WAYNE COUNTY TUESDAY
WAYNE CO., Ill.—Wayne County (county seat: Fairfield) has an important runoff on the Primary ballot this Tuesday: the office of sheriff.
Jim Hinkle, Republican candidate for Wayne County sheriff
Jim Hinkle, incumbent Wayne County sheriff, is facing a challenger, Fairfield patrol officer Mike Everett, for the Republican nod.
Now, Mike’s a nice guy. We’ve known him since he started working for Fairfield in 1997. He’s very easy to get along with, extremely pleasant and helpful; all the things a patrol cop should be.
However, his run for sheriff has the undertow of a carefully-designed scheme by Hinkle’s predecessor, reviled former Wayne courthouse janitor-turned-deputy-turned sheriff, Sonny McCulley , in an attempt to knock Hinkle out of the race early so “their” boay can be put in office.
Who’s “they”?
“They” are a bunch of misfit cop-wannabes who, in any other society besides downstate Illinois, probably would never have been allowed to be police officers (deputies).
We’re talking Lee Rankin, Mark Tipps, Mike Vinson, Silas Eckleberry and Andy Milner. These guys were on under the Sonny administration…and almost all of them went on to get in some kind of trouble that would have gotten normal cops in normal venues stripped of their certification (civil rights violations, covering over for a fellow deputy who rolled his vehicle in a rural drunk driving accident, acting as security for an underage kegger out at the fairgrounds where a couple of teenage girls were allegedly supposed to have provided the entertainment for the evening: pole dancing).
These and other deputies, during the Sonny administration, brought enough reproach upon the sheriff’s department that former prosecutor Kevin Kakac was forced to hold grand juries regularly, as felony charges against someone with one of these deputies as the investigator lacked the credibility to hold up under appeal. In other words, they caused an awful lot of trouble.
Hinkle kept these deputies on when he took office, but successfully restrained them. Well, all except Milner, who, after a grand total of 30 months as a deputy, left within the first month of the Hinkle admin and sought employment elsewhere. However, Milner is who Everett has announced he will place as his chief deputy if he wins the office. So, being a nice guy doesn’t necessarily equate to being the best choice for sheriff…because with these same guys on staff, and Milner in as chief deputy, and a green as can be sheriff in office, well…we’re looking at the Sonny administration all over again. And Wayne County can’t afford that.
In his four years in office, Hinkle has fought constantly with the county board over their micromanagement of his budget. Despite this, he has upgraded the way the department is run, made countless improvements to the jail (it now can hold federal prisoners, as one example), and through all of it, has handled the incessant criminal element in the county—particularly meth and sex offense crimes–and has brought respectability and professionalism back to the department.
Hinkle and his chief deputy, Jeff Grieve, are both retired ISP.
Chief deputy Jeff Grieve at a recent fundraiser for Hinkle
This fact has raised a lot of hackles among the unenlightened in Wayne County, particularly the Sonny club.
For whatever reason, when Sonny ascended to the office in 2002, this group (among them Sonny’s unusual sister, Tammy) somehow came to be under the impression that they had acquired elevated status because of their boay. This meant a lot to them, as you must understand: they were, prior to Sonny’s ascension, kind of at the opposite end of the spectrum, to put it nicely. They went on the warpath shrieking during the 2006 election that Sonny needed to stay in office so that “deserving” boays like Sonny all across the county could have a “good-paying job,” not these bad ol retired Illinois State Police troopers who already had a good income.
And that was the problem with this bunch: their motivation was very, very misplaced. They weren’t concerned about the citizens of Wayne County who had been abused, mistreated while in custody, stolen from, and other terrible things Sonny’s boays did while he was in office. They were concerned about themselves and their ascension through the ranks. Never mind that Sonny and two of his deputies were under federal civil rights charges and lost an out-of-court settlement. Never mind that there are people who have lost property in raids on their homes that they’ll never see again but for which they never received a receipt. Sonny’s boays needed a job, now, dang it!!
And since Sonny lost four years ago, they’ve been planning this all along. They’ve forgotten that Sonny and his ilk weren’t elevated by the office; the office was diminished by their presence.
No one is saying this is what Everett would do. But the danger is there, because the same deputies are; Milner is being brought back; and there would be someone in office who either doesn’t know how to handle a bunch of boays like this, or won’t.
So this is what Wayne faces, Tuesday, and it’s a serious situation. Are we going to mess with success, or provide those old boays an opportunity to run wild in the county and bring disparagement upon it once again?
We’ll see Tuesday night. The important thing is to GET OUT AND VOTE. Because you know the ones who will vote for people you DON’T want in office will be.
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Short URL: http://www.disclosurenewsonline.com/?p=2011
Posted by Chris Beavers
on Jan 31 2010. Filed under Wayne.
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What scares me, is that self proclaimed intelligent individuals, would vote for everett because they think that’s how the church would have them vote. Mike has absolutely no experience, He spoke to one of my classes at f.c.c. and said that experience, and record, means nothing as far as being sherriff. All you need is to be a resident of the county for one year, and have no criminal record so he was qualified! As far as that go’s, then “superman” harrellson will get my vote first.
To Michael: Notice we didn’t say a thing about that HUGE SIGN JUST WEST OF THE DRIVEWAY AT THE CHURCH OUT ON THE EAST HIGHWAY COMING INTO TOWN. Calvary something, not New Beginnings; at least New Beginnings had the good taste and sense to not post ANY political signs on their grounds. Good for them!
Sarasota: true, it’s sickening. This state could save a WHOLE lot of money if they would mandate it that any retired official drawing a lucrative salary can only collect a fraction of that salary while they’re holding an elected or appointed office.
The problem that retired Illinois state troopers sometimes have in attaining elected office is that many citizens resent their drawing an elected official’s salary in addition to their very lucrative state pensions. VERY lucrative.
I have known Jim Hinkle since 1978 and he is very capable of handling any problem that arises there. I think he has shown that he is a good sheriff, I hope the people have the good sense to keep a good thing and vote him back in.
Come on! What about the sheriff elections in the other counties around here? The further south counties, Hardin, Pope, Massac, etc have some doozies as well…..all of these races will be interesting for sure…hopefully the voters make the right choices.
We don’t cover Pope and Massac. Driving to Hardin is killing us, so we’re only just now getting into that county, but we’re not on the races yet. There are only three counties in our basic coverage area that have hot sheriff’s primaries—Gallatin, Wayne and Lawrence—and we don’t have an opinion on Gallatin yet because we don’t know the candidates like we do in Wayne and Lawrence.
We’re still going through resumes, but if you know anyone who would like to go to work for us down there, feel free to give them our contact info…we have one good applicant from Massac but are in our busy time and can’t go interview him yet.
ADMIN – You are so RIGHT! Rachel Hooper was singing at the Fairfield High School this Sunday trying to promote her country singing career.
Guess who the opening act was? None other than her father Sonny McCulley! It gets better, Sonny was introduced to the crowd by Mike Everett and Andy Milner!!
Go figure!
jyd:
If Rachel wants a real career (and really, she’s just kinda…mundane…but we think country music sucks so we’re biased), she needs to get the hell out of Wayne County and STAY out. My beautiful wife had a fantastic two-decade career as a singer and stage performer, but only after she left southern Illinois and went where people weren’t petty, backstabbing and purposely career-killing.
But if THAT doesn’t prove this was a Sonny-scheme, what does?? Hope the Wayne County DePressed covered that, so people can really see what’s behind this move…and what’s in store for them if they elect Everett.
Oh, alright. I’d be concerned with trusting someone from the far south lol. I can tell you that if you ever get into it in “that” area, you’ll find out some amazing things….
I have known Jim Hinkle almost all of my life. I grew up with him and rode horses with him when we were kids. I support his run for sheriff and will continue to do so. While Wayne county borders on the “good old boy” syndrome, keep in mind that Hinkle is also that as well as more than qualified to fill the needs of Wayne county in his continued bid for sheriff. All the ridicule and rude comments are nothing but words. We have all had our skeletons in our closets, but we were also young once all of us. It doesn’t mean we carry on this behavior into our adult lives. My support for Jim cannot be deterred by any comments made by anyone.
admin- Good for you! Country music does suck, it does my heart good to know that no matter what, your integrity holds strong. Those are harsh words here in the south, so i’m glad you had the balls to stand up for our rights.
Well, looks like Everett got the nod. Not sure what that means for the Wayne County folks, but it sounds like it may not be so hot.
I am truly shocked at the outcome! It’s am embarrassment to this county. Our future sherriff is a fellow, who thinks that experience doesn’t matter, will learn quick, when dealing with the county board, unless he’s got some help in his pocket? We will see how fickle, and ready for change wayne county is in another 3 years, as a republican, you can bet, if he does well he’ll have my vote, but if not then, he just wasted 4 years of our lives. I’m not gettin any younger, and i’d love to move. Prove me wrong Mike.
Ya know what, I KNEW when I googled “Deputy Rankin” that I would find something like this. My experience with this deputy has convinced me that this story is entirely accurate. This man, RANKIN, will charge with ANYBODY with ANYTHING, regardless of the evidence he has . . . he goes on one thing: his BELIEF, period. He has NO REGARD for what EVIDENCE he has . . . he thinks he IS the law, and he is about to get a rude awakening. The TRUTH is about to arrive on his doorstep.
Really?
Do tell. We think Rankin is a pissant. We’re sorry Jim Hinkle had to put up with him for four years. I’m sure he’ll feel right at home with Everett, however.
You have no idea how accurate you are with that statement! His rude awakening is coming VERY soon!