May 23, 2008
“Change Together, we will make Okaloosa County better”
Yesterday, at the Okaloosa County Republican Party meeting held at the American Legion in Fort Walton Beach, it was announced that Republican candidate for sheriff, Bill Patterson of Fort Walton Beach was the only candidate running for Okaloosa County Sheriff that had successfully submitted the 1,244 signed petitions that were required to place a name on the August 26th Republican Primary Ballot.
In order to qualify as a candidate for sheriff, a prospective candidate must either pay a filing fee of $7,846.56 or provide the Board of Elections with 1,244 signed petitions nominating a candidate for the office of Sheriff.
When Patterson planned his “fiscally sound campaign strategy,” he felt that the $7,846.56 filing fee was not a necessary expense. When asked, Patterson said, “I just want to thank the more than 1,400 registered voters for signing the Patterson petition and for their strong show of support for the Patterson Pledge.”
Patterson stated that interested parties can learn more about the Patterson Pledge on the Bill Patterson for Sheriff campaign web site at www.BillPattersonForSheriff.com.
“The Voters must realize the importance of this Republican Primary in August,”
Four candidates attempted to gather the support needed for the signatures. To the surprise of many, even incumbent Republican Sheriff Charlie Morris was unable to meet the requirement and thus, he must pay the nearly $8000.00 fee to run in the late summer Primary. Since there are no qualified Democrat candidates running in November, the winner of the Republican Primary will be Sheriff-elect until sworn in after the November election.
“The Voters must realize the importance of this Republican Primary Election in August,” stated Patterson. “We need change in our county Sheriff’s Department, we need stronger leadership, we need to make that decision on August 26th in the Republican Primary,” Patterson continued.
Bill Patterson has a military background, including Administrative Superintendent at 834th Security Police Squadron, Hurlburt Field, and Superintendent of Wing Plans at both Pope Air Force Base and Clark Air Base. Patterson holds a degree in law enforcement. He has completed both the Florida Law Enforcement Police Standards and Florida Law Enforcement Corrections Standards. He has previously served in elected office on the Fort Walton Beach City Council, Seat #2 from 2003 – 2007 and was Mayor Pro-Tiem during that time.
At the meeting, a number of general comments were made expressing surprise that the local media had not focused more attention on the story. Many thought that perhaps the local media did not believe that Bill Patterson and the other challengers to Sheriff Morris had a serious opportunity to defeat the incumbent in the August Primary. With this news, their opinions had changed.
When asked about this (change of opinion), Bill Patterson replied, “It does not surprise me that the media did not feel that I represented a serious threat to Charlie Morris. However, I entered this race because I have a strong connection to the folks here in Okaloosa County and I believed then, as I do now that many, many citizens are disenchanted with the direction of Sheriff’s Department."
"I walked the neighborhoods and I pounded the pavement to speak with the ordinary citizens of Okaloosa County. I have expressed my views to them and they have responded with much encouragement and support. I am not the least bit surprised that Morris could not find the support necessary to complete the signature drive. The people of Okaloosa County want change. They want the kind of change that I represent. It is my opinion that the results of the signature drive are the beginning of the proof of my beliefs. Encouraging as it is, this success represents only the first leg of the race. We have much to do.”
Bill Patterson’s platform includes the key points outlined in the Patterson Pledge to the voters of Okaloosa County, found at BillPattersonForSheriff.com:
As Your Sheriff, I will
• Institute Budget Restraint within the Sheriff’s Department
• Enforce the US constitution and local laws as they pertain to illegal aliens
• Institute “Tougher Drug Law Enforcement”
• Make “Safer Neighborhoods” my priority
“Change in Okaloosa County Sheriff’s department is long overdue. Together, we will make Okaloosa County better,” commented Patterson.
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