Pinellas Sheriff Democratic primary

Winner: Randall M. Jones

Two former deputies are vying to replace Republican Sheriff Jim Coats, saying they’d improve fiscal responsibility, increase morale among the rank-and-file and heighten transparency. The winner faces Coats and unaffiliated candidate Greg S. Pound in November.

	Randall M. Jones, 39	John Pikramenos, 53
Experience	Jones retired to run for office in April after 18 years at the Sheriff’s Office. As an investigator, he worked on domestic violence, crimes against children and burglary cases, among others. He also worked as a patrol deputy and a Community Policing Officer. His highest rank was corporal.	Pikramenos retired in June after spending 30 years at the Sheriff’s Office, 26 of them as a supervisor in various units including internal affairs, vice, intelligence and patrol. Pikramenos also worked on a federal racketeering task force that targeted gangs and organized crime. His highest rank was sergeant..
Top priorities	Gain and maintain the trust of the citizens. Restore prudent fiscal responsibility to the Sheriff’s Office. Improve the working relationship the Sheriff’s Office has with law enforcement and social services agencies.	Restore morale and professionalism to the Sheriff’s Office. Put the agency on the track of fiscal responsibility. “Drive the bus” for consolidation of services that are duplicated among various agencies.
How would you handle the budget differently from the current sheriff?	Said he’d propose a “serious budget, a comprehensible budget” instead of the sheriff’s “scare tactic” of cutting the programs most important to the public. He’d cut the legal staff, trim the public information office, reduce the flight section and reconsider the take-home car policy.	Said he’d “put more scrutiny into the budget” than the sheriff did including reducing “over payments” to health care reserve funds so money could be applied to other needs. By looking over the budget carefully, he said he could have prevented layoffs.
Description of their opponent in the primary	“Insensitive to the public needs. Morals are questionable. And one must question his ethics as well.”	“He’s very well spoken but lacks substance, lacks long-range foresight and lacks leadership because he’s never had it.”
Assets	Residence, vehicle, bank accounts	Residence, bank accounts, FRS
Liabilities	Loans	Loans
Source of income	Before resigning in April, Jones earned $62,579 annually	Splits pension with ex-wife; $25,000 in pension benefits annually.
Net worth	$350,000 (approx.)	$629,627
Web site	Yes	Yes
E-mail	Yes	Yes
Education	Graduate of law enforcement academy. Attended classes at St. Petersburg College.	Graduate of law enforcement academy, St. Petersburg Junior College and University of South Florida.
Internal affairs discipline	None.	10-day suspension in 2004 for a romantic relationship with a colleague that was determined a distraction and was not reported properly to his supervisor.
Personal	Wife is Lisa Jones, three children.	Divorced, one adult child.

About the job: The sheriff, elected countywide, oversees an operation of more than 3,000 employees and a budget of $260-million. The position pays $160,000 a year.