Sheriff candidates
Sheriff candidates (from left) Roby Bowe, Tessa Anderson, Kelly Beasley, Rex Nichols and Richard F. Morrow discuss issues during a forum last week in Libby. Photo by Kootenai Valley Record.
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Sheriff candidates share views
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
May 17, 2010
Five candidates are campaigning to be Lincoln County’s next sheriff, with the top two vote-getters in the June 8 primary moving on to the November general election.
Roby Bowe, Tessa Anderson, Kelly Beasley, Rex Nichols and Richard F. Morrow shared their views at a forum last week in Libby. Following is a look at each of the candidates:
Roby Bowe
Roby Bowe grew up in Libby and decided on a law enforcement career when he was a senior at Libby High School. He attended North Idaho College and became a reserve deputy with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at the age of 18. He became a full-time deputy in 1990 and has been with the sheriff’s office ever since.
Bowe currently holds the rank of patrol captain with the sheriff’s office. He is also a longtime member of David Thompson Search and Rescue and serves as the organization’s law enforcement liaison.
Bowe touted his understanding of the sheriff’s office budget and leadership skills and said if elected he will hold the department’s officers and other employees to a high standard.
Bowe pointed to the economy and associated budgetary issues as the most challenging problem facing law enforcement in Lincoln County.
"It’s very, very tough to make any cuts where we’re at," he said.
Any additional cuts in the budget would likely reduce manpower and increase response times, Bowe said.
Tessa Anderson
Tessa Anderson has lived most of her life in Montana and has been a resident of Trego since 1994. She served in the U.S. Coast Guard and for the past seven years has helped manage her husband’s construction business.
Anderson said she and her daughter were the victims of an attempted kidnapping, and the experience provided her with a crime victim’s perspective on law enforcement. She said her administrative experience in the Coast Guard and with her family’s business would also be an asset as sheriff.
Anderson also noted that she gained legal experience by representing herself in a lawsuit and said she’s concerned about "federal encroachment of our rights."
When asked about the most challenging problem facing local law enforcement, Anderson pointed to problems with youth and issues at the county jail and pledged to "go through the budget with a fine-toothed comb" to see where resources could be redirected.
Kelly Beasley
A Lincoln County native, Beasley spent 24 years in the U.S. Air Force, moving up through the enlisted ranks and becoming an officer. While in the Air Force, he obtained an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in aerospace management. He retired in 1996 and went to work for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway for eight years in a management position.
Beasley, who lives in the Troy area, said he’s running for sheriff because he wants to serve the community where he was born and raised. He said he would bring new ideas to the office along with his military and business experience.
Beasley identified methamphetamine as local law enforcement’s biggest problem, noting that addiction to the drug is a root cause of many other crimes and that its abuse brings with it many health problems for users.
Rex Nichols
Rex Nichols worked in a copper smelter and as a miner and served in the U.S. Air Force before becoming a police officer in Tempe, Ariz. While serving in Tempe, Nichols said he took classes made available through an FBI program and learned about the importance of protecting people’s rights. All law enforcement officers should be taught the U.S. Constitution and be well-versed in the rights it protects, he said.
Following his law enforcement career, Nichols said he worked giving classes on the secrets of wealth accumulation.
A current resident of Eureka, Nichols said he favors a "well-regulated posse" to support local law enforcement while keeping costs in check. He expressed concerns that with budget problems, officers may be drawn to writing tickets to generate revenue. The sheriff’s office needs to be able to demonstrate to the public that its money is used properly, he said.
"I think there are lots of problems and lots of opportunities in most law enforcement agencies, and I don’t think it’s any different here," he said.
Richard F. Morrow
Richard F. "Rick" Morrow has been a resident of Montana for 30 years and has lived in Libby for 28. He said he would bring responsibility, integrity and leadership to the position of sheriff and would encourage communication between the sheriff’s office and the community to improve relations.
Morrow said he has 24 years of law enforcement experience, including military police experience. He said he would be a full-time sheriff if elected.
Morrow said civil lawsuits, and the cost of defending against them, are the biggest challenge currently facing the sheriff’s office.
"In tough economic times, people still think government entities have deep pockets," he said.
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Editor’s Note: See the May 11, 2010 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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