When my wife was to a point where she could leave her employment, we decided to move somewhere that was more suited to our conservative values. Idaho was that place. While we have been here a relatively short period of time, we feel quite at home here. We enjoy and support the lifestyle Idaho has to offer and are thankful we were welcomed with open arms.
During my 26-year career in law enforcement, I served as a Deputy Medical Examiner as well as the leader of a multi-agency crash investigation team. In these roles I investigated many death scenes, observed numerous autopsies, made too many death notifications, and worked closely with the families of the deceased. I also serve on numerous committees that afforded me opportunities to learn the workings of government from a broader perspective.
I also served as the Chief of Police for a small town. Working closely with the City Administrator and Council to rebuild the agency by completely revamping the policy manual of the department. As Chief I had full budget authority. While my budget pales in comparison to the office I seek, I had very little room for error and learned to keep a keen eye on the numbers. A notable difference between chiefs of large agencies versus small agencies is the fact that larger agencies have staff members that can take on the administrative workload needed. In small agencies and towns, the Chief is the staff.
After retirement, I went on to serve on a city budget committee and subsequently the City Council. My experiences taught me that small cities and towns have many of the same problems as large ones, only smaller in magnitude.