Pinellas sheriff's race gets rough

LEALMAN - The sheriff's race took a nasty turn Wednesday night during a candidates forum sponsored by the Lealman Community Association.

Democratic challenger Randall Jones and Republican incumbent Jim Coats had only five minutes each to talk but found time to hurl angry insults at each other. Coats got so hot during the exchange that one audience member later questioned the wisdom of angering someone who carries a gun.

Jones started the fracas when he accused Coats of indulging in threats earlier this year when he warned Pinellas County commissioners that if Coats had to cut his budget by 10 percent the streets would be "littered with human carnage" and "innocent citizens, including children, will be caught up in a deadly crossfire."

Accused Coats of irresponsibly using "reckless" words. Coats, he said, did not act with integrity. Voters, Jones said, do not need Coats' style of ethics and integrity any longer.

Coats hotly denied Jones' claims, saying his opponent was "misinformed, uninformed" and "misleading the public" about what was said. The misrepresentations are unethical and lack integrity, he said.

Jones responded by inviting the 60 or so audience members to go to the Pinellas County website and listen to a recording of that meeting to see what Coats actually said.

Coats then attacked Jones' qualifications and competency to do the job. Jones, an 18-year veteran of the Pinellas County Sheriff's office who resigned to run, has only the bare qualifications to be a police officer, Coats said. Jones has no college education and failed to pass the sergeant's exam.

That statement enraged an audience member who stood up and said, "I'm tired of you" saying people who have only high school degrees are incapable of performing higher-level jobs. Many people who have no college degrees have done great things the woman said before she stalked out of the room.

-- Anne Lindberg, Times Staff Writer

Comments

Jones is a little uhuru wanna be thug.
And take your stupid signs down from fences and light poles it is tacky.

[Paul]

WOW!! I can't say I disagree with Randall and the aldy who stood up from the audience. I'd say Sheriff Coats is an elit-ist and doesn't reflect the facts accurately because he did threaten there would be carnage, etc.

People without degrees have plenty of low job opportunities in Pinellas, but Sheriff should not be one of them.

The Sheriff's office requires testing to prove that candidates are qualified to rise up through the ranks, other than the actual Sheriff, who is an elected official. On multiple instances, Jones failed the test to get promoted within the department. There's a reason that after 18 years, he was still a deputy.

This is awesome… once we disregard all of those who have no college… we can move on to the darkies, jews, fags, and split-tails! Soon, our utopia of a government filled with white, elite, corrupt and perverted men will be here!

… wait a minute!

"People without degrees have plenty of low job opportunities in Pinellas..."

That's right... wait, illegal immigrants took those jobs.... hmmmmm

Good thing Bill Gates went to coll… wait a minute… well, Ted Bundy went to coll… wait a minute… all the execs at Enron and Worldcom went to coll… wait a minute… I’m confused!

This is not a personal criticism of Lindberg, but...

I'm tired of the Times only printing controversy. Nobody knows what the heck is going on locally unless a candidate yells at the other one. Then, you cover the hissy fits instead of the issues.

PS- Who cares about a hissy fit in Lealman???

This is especially galling given the nagging editorials the paper has issued on the severity of the challenges facing the commission, the sheriff's office, even city councils.

Instead, we get mohawks and headlines on which so-and-so is gay.

Why does the editorial staff bother to harrumph about what a horrible direction we are headed. Look at what you report on- who cares???

Why would cutting the budget 10 percent lead to what he said? I don't understand it. Sounds like racketeering to me.

Elect RICE by writing his name in as YOUR choice for Sheriff! While having a degree doesn't qualify a person to be Sheriff, and vice versa, Rice knew that to be an effective leader he should have a law degree. And so, with that degree, he served the people of Pinellas County with an open-mind, integrity, and fairness. Even thugh his name won't appear on the ballot, he can be your choice!
ELECT RICE BY WRITE IN!

Greg Pound for Sheriff!

BANG-O-RANG, 1:34!

[Tommy Boy]

Jim Coats is a good man. Unfortunately, he’s let The Meatball, The Janitor, and the rest of the criminal Republican dunderheads in Pinellas turn him into a poor politician, rather than letting him remain a great Sheriff.

He still gets my vote, but if he continues to drink the corrupt “R” kool aid, he will not get it again.

Snickers the Cat for Sheriff!!!!

Bullwinkle J. Moose 4 Sheriff

[stephanie]

When Coats made that statement last spring, I remember thinking what an SOB...if legistators cut the budget he wouldn't investigate child abuse. Who does he think he is. We all get our budgets cut, but putting children at risk because he lost 10% funding is CRAP!

[Reality]

It doesnt matter who is sheriff...we still will have thugs littering our streets, because the judges don't put people away long enough!

[Bill]

Why do we have county governments anyhow? Things would work much better at the city level. There'd be no problem with school districts, fire and police coverage.

County level government sucks.

"County level government sucks."

Signed,

Mayor Baker and Council Members who could do a better job at wasting our money!

Jones made some very good points, and Coats was visibly shaken by having to defend them. Oh, and Sheriff… the whole “you’re not worthy if you didn’t go to college” thing… drop it ASAP. A lot of the folks you want to vote for you… did not go to college either, and have made magnificent contributions to our community.

[Vincent]

I'll repeat that:
"A lot of the folks you want to vote for you… did not go to college either, and have made magnificent contributions to our community". I'm voting for Jones.

BUBBA For Sheriff

[Very Upset person!]

Straight out lies. OK people lets address the false posts.

#1 Anne Lindberg you where there I was there Jones was not yelling. False

#2 Jones is a little uhuru. False

#3 On multiple instances, Jones failed the test. False

#4 "Good thing Bill Gates went to coll." He Drooped out of High School.False

Dude, take a val... #4 was meant to be sarcas.... ahhh, never mind.

[THE SHERIFF TOLD A LIE!]

THE SHERIFF TOLD A LIE!

"Coats hotly denied Jones' claims, saying his opponent was "misinformed, uninformed"

Coats I may only have a High School Education but I am smart enough to go view the video tape of you. At www.pinellascounty.org also I found this (Pinellas sheriff predicts 'carnage' in streets if budget is cut) it in the Sp. Times http://tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article522637.ece

Coats I will never trust anything you say EVER AGAIN!

[Ted]

Jimmy you are so scared that you are not going to win. How will you get your friends off of DUI probation or how will you fill your promises of handing the torch to Bob your Chief Deputy?