Four years ago, The Post’s editorial board endorsed Republican Steve Kane for Athens County sheriff, citing his investigative background and willingness to work with other agencies to cut the drug trade in Southeast Ohio. Kane lost the election to Democrat and current Sheriff Pat Kelly by a narrow margin.
Despite the result of the last election, we believe the Post editors were right in 2008.
The Post endorses Steve Kane. His experience as an investigator should allow him to handle whatever takes place in Athens County, and his desire to work with other agencies sets him apart from Kelly.
While Kelly said his office has “very little interaction” with students, Kane says he would make the office more accessible to Ohio University. Kelly has turned down multi-county task forces, but Kane would take part in them, because drugs and drug runners don’t stop at county lines.
Recent months have been rocky for Kelly, with allegations of assault and a state audit determining that more than $14,000 from a “furtherance of justice” fund was spent inappropriately. Kelly’s response was that spending those funds, then reimbursing them, is standard practice, regardless of whether it is right or wrong.
But we would rather have a sheriff whose standard practices take into account what’s right and wrong.
Endorsements represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
