There is a bit of irony in this advice coming from a twice-divorced man. Then again, maybe I can speak from a similar perspective: If Sheriff Ronnie Strength’s wife is what is keeping him from openly endorsing Scott Peebles, he needs to cut her loose.
He can get a new and better wife quicker than Augusta can get a new and better sheriff if the wrong guy comes out as a winner in this November’s election.
By the way, that is not a dig at Mrs. Strength, but it is a dig at the mess our central city is going to be in if someone other than Scott Peebles (or Freddie Sanders) wins that office.
A victory in November for his long-chosen successor Peebles first depends on a victory in the Democratic primary, and at this point in the proceedings, it is going to take a massive statement from Augusta’s public safety conscious citizens in the form of ballot box support.
We all know that the still popular and politically powerful incumbent would not have blinked at making a loud and proud endorsement of his young and faithful captain, until, of course, his woefully underqualified brother-in-law stuck his nose into the contest.
Road Patrol Lt. RobbieSilas had never expressed much interest in running for the job, but his big sister had other plans.
Many close to the sheriff say Mrs. Strength is pushing her little brother harder in this election than she ever pushed her husband, because, of course, that was something she never had to do. His associates actually claim that she has made it clear that there will be hell to pay if the sheriff actively speaks up for Peebles before the primary is over.
He may not be speaking up for Peebles right now, but he sure ain’t speaking up for his kinfolk, either.
You have to hope that accusation about Mrs. Strength squeezing her husband’s service pistol like a steel trap is a flat out fabrication, because Lord knows if it were true, that would make her a real… um… piece of work, now wouldn’t it?
Theoretically, it would take a really horrible, nasty, shrill human being to threaten to make her husband miserable over a political race involving a job that he has loved and cherished longer than he has loved and cherished her.
Theoretically.
Certainly no one short of an A-1 wicked witch (feel free to insert the consonant of your choice) would issue such a silly edict.
No one blames Mrs. Strength for wanting to see her little brother do well, but as long as she has been married to the sheriff, she has to know who he thinks is the best man for the job.
But hey, maybe she doesn’t care what he thinks?
Ordinarily, if Peebles stood against Silasmano-a-mano in virtually any professional or intellectual contest, the captain would rip the lieutenant to shreds. I mean, it would be an embarrassment.
But politics rarely resembles any professional or intellectual contest.
We are living in a world where, in 2008, an upstart rookie senator with no track record of political or personal consequence beat the pants off a decorated, disabled war veteran, who happened to be one of the most experienced and well-respected members of the U.S. Senate.
Even though BarackObama was one of the most partisan voices of the Senate, and John McCain one of the most respected by members of both major parties, Obama killed him in the election for the White House.
On paper, Obama was not in his league.
If the presence of Silas in this primary is keeping the sheriff’s mouth shut, he needs to consider the consequences of someone less than the man he has been grooming for this office taking over.
Of course, if voters are as smart as they need to be, all they need to consider is the platform and power Strength has given Peebles as his chief mouthpiece and investigative right hand over the last few years. Strength may have shared holiday meals with Silas, but he never made him an administrator with real power, or put him in a position of high authority within the department he runs. He did that for Scott Peebles. Actually, he just gave Peebles the chance to advance; the captain secured, maintained and expanded on those opportunities all by himself.
Sheriff Strength made his endorsement of Captain Scott Peebles a long, long time ago. The sheriff says Lt. Silas is a great street cop, one of the best, and I won’t argue that point. But if you think Ronnie Strength wants anyone but Peebles to come out on top in this Democratic primary for sheriff, you must be criminally insane.You Might Also Like:
Strength Endorsed Peebles Long Ago
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Posted in Austin
Posted in Austin