Voter guide: Fulton Sheriff
July 10, 2008 at 3:26 pm by Scott Henry in NewsAll nine Democratic candidates for Fulton County sheriff took part in a Thursday morning Atlanta Press Club debate that will air on GPB-TV Sunday night. But we’ll try to fill you in about these guys as best we can now. The sheriff’s race has been surprisingly below-the radar, but some details can be gleaned from the candidates’ appearances, websites and campaign literature.
Here are the candidates:
- Ronald Brandy, 43, has worked as a Fulton sheriff’s deputy for 15 years and is pursuing a criminal justice degree at a state junior college. Like several other deputies running, he aims to expand the duties of the sheriff’s office to include more law-enforcement responsibilities, such as catching speeders
- Frank Brown, 62, retired as East Point police chief, after 27 years of working his way up the chain of command. For a while, he served as interim city manager under Mayor Patsy Jo Hilliard, whose mismanagement of city finances has spurred questions about what Brown accomplished in his temporary role.
- Curtis Steven Farmer, 46, is another Fulton deputy, with 20 years of experience and a host of arguably kooky ideas. He wants to turn Fort MacPherson into a jail compound; he wants convicted drug dealers and repeat felons to be banished from metro Atlanta; and instead Fulton Superior Court judges being elected, he wants them to be appointed by the governor and given a caseload quota.
- Myron Freeman, the embattled and much-derided incumbent sheriff, is not running a visible campaign and has appeared at only a handful of debates. He’s trying to stay above the fray – mainly because the fray is primarily directed at him and his sorry performance as sheriff.
- Ted Jackson, 61, retired from a 32-year FBI career as the agency’s top official in Georgia. He ran the sheriff’s office for the six months between when Jackie Barrett was removed as sheriff and Freeman took office.
- Pat Labat, 40, is a major with the Atlanta Department of Corrections who oversees the city jail. Youthful and well-spoken, Labatt also advocates expanding the policing duties of the sheriff’s department.
- Aubrey Osteen, 66, another veteran lawman, managed the Fulton jail annex in Alpharetta. A former deputy and Freeman associate, he now argues he would reform the office, in part by making sure homeless inmates and drug addicts get into treatment programs. He’s been questioned about his service on the Fulton Board of Tax Assessors, another deeply troubled county office.
- Charles Rambo, 39, another ex-deputy, has run several campaigns for sheriff. An outspoken critic of Freeman following the 2005 courthouse killings, Rambo wants to expand the department’s responsibilities to include community-oriented policing.
- Charles Shelton is something of a mystery, since he seems not to have a website or campaign literature.
The most interesting aspect of the APC debate was watching Freeman as he stood ramrod still and expressionless during the Q&A. His responses were sometimes a hoot, as well, as when he was asked why, since a Fulton marshal’s report had earlier warned of security breaches at the Fulton courthouse, had he failed to take action that might have prevented the 2005 shootings. Freeman said he the security shortcomings were put in place by interim sheriff Ted Jackson. “You should ask him,” Freeman said.
“Did you hear that?” asked the guy sitting in front of me, rhetorically. “That was cold.”
Asked about his sorry track record of maintaining the jail, Freeman unveiled a mantra that he repeated several times during the debate.: “The jail is clean, the population is down and there have been no escapes in three years.”
One of the other candidates finally pointed out that the main reason the jail population has been reduced is that the facility is undergoing a $55 million renovation that has forced the sheriff to rent jail space from other jurisdictions at substantial expense to Fulton taxpayers.
Later, when Freeman was asked to explain why three jail inmates have mysteriously died on his watch, the sheriff caused the audience to erupt into laughter when he answered: “People die.”
Yes. Yes, they do. So do careers. And we can only hope that voters use the July 15 primary to send Freeman into retirement. For more on the candidates, check out the AJC/League of Women Voters guide. And while you’re at it, here’s my story from last week’s CL on the sheriff’s race.
Any other thoughts on the candidates or the issues? We’d like to hear from you. Link here to guides on more races.
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July 11th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I, Aubrey Osteen, Candidate for Sheriff of Fulton County, was the Tax Assessor’s Board member who initiated the Forensic Investigation which exposed the alledged corruption of the Tax Assessor’s Board. The wording of my background description could be interpreted that I was part of the problem. This can be confirmed by contacting former Board member Helen White who assisted me in action.
July 11th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Correction to above blog: I took action to expose and solve the problems of the tax assesors board. This can be confirmed by contacting former board member Helen White.
Aubrey Osteen, Cadidate for Sheriff of Fulton County.
July 12th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Has anyone else noticed the Illeagal signs Brown has plastered all over the Black community ? now he and his thugs are removing other candidates signs.Seems to be he should be investigated under the GANG violence laws.He was already involved in the missing money scandals in East Point. WHAT A THUG !!!!!
July 12th, 2008 at 10:33 am
What do you all think of the hook between Jackson and Barrett. i heard she was running his campaign.The theme on the street…a vote for Jackson is a vote for Barrett !!!!
July 13th, 2008 at 10:27 am
MERCY….I just saw Phil Kent endorse Osteen.
I had forgotten that Osteen was a Republican running as a Dem.
No wonder he has fist fights with staff—he is in conflict with himself !!!