CONTROVERSY AND TENSE MOMENTS HIGHLIGHT RACE

A contentious and controversial Republican primary race for Columbia
County sheriff will be decided Tuesday.

The candidates -- Lt. Roger Brandner and Deputy Dennis Richards -- are
members of the Columbia County Sheriff's Office and are seeking to
succeed outgoing Sheriff Steven Rowe, who endorsed Brandner for the
position.

The controversies that arose during the primary campaign include:

Richards' questioning whether Brandner's use of photos of himself in
his deputy uniform in campaign materials and on his Web site were a
violation of Sheriff's Office rules.

Fliers distributed by an unknown group calling itself Concerned
Citizens for Columbia County that attacked Richards over a plea
agreement between the Columbia County district attorney's office and
Richards' daughter in a marijuana case.

Allegations that petitions filed in support of Brandner were
incorrectly signed, which were ultimately ruled by the state crime lab
to be inaccurate

A dustup over the placement of campaign booths at the Columbia County
Fair.

The campaign, both candidates acknowledge, has affected the working
atmosphere in the Sheriff's Office.

"If you have two or more employees within the department running (for
sheriff), it's a very, very uncomfortable situation for everybody,"
Richards said. "... I can tell you firsthand that a lot of the people
in the department will probably be as happy as Roger and I when
(Wednesday) gets here."

When asked what the most important issue facing the new sheriff is,
both candidates cited the county jail.

"I see two options with the jail: No. 1, fill it up, put inmates in
it; or No. 2, don't fill it up and don't put inmates in it," Brandner
said. "... My take on it is fill it up, get the inmates in there from
the other counties, charge these other counties the money for us to
. baby-sit their inmates and offset that budget and get that extra
money in."

Richards said "nobody seems to have an exact number on what the cost
is per day (for housing inmates). ... If we are losing money per day
per inmate -- is just not tax effective or cost effective."

The candidates differed slightly in what they feel is the most
pressing crime issue facing the county, with Richards citing drugs --
especially prescription drug abuse -- and Brandner citing thefts.

Richards said if he is elected, he would work more with schools and
emphasize the DARE program.

Brandner said he would put the department first and be available "all
the time" to staff and citizens.

The winner of the primary election will face Democrat Dave Knapp, 42,
in the general election in November.