Sheriff's association to take new vote

The sheriff's deputies' union will vote later this month on whether to rescind an endorsement of Les Stiles, who is challenging incumbent Greg Brown for the office of sheriff in the November election.

According to Deschutes County Sheriff's Employee Association President Darren Squier, members of the association voted Tuesday, July 11, to poll the entire membership on whether to overturn the earlier endorsement.

"Essentially the motion was to have an association-wide vote to rescind the original motion (to endorse Stiles)," Squier said.

There are approximately 135 members in the association, which represents deputies, corrections officers and office workers.

On June 12, a quorum of 47 members voted 38-7 with two abstentions to endorse Stiles, in a meeting held at a pizza parlor in southeast Bend. The vote angered some association members, who had voted earlier in a full-membership poll not to endorse any candidate.

According to Squier, ballots were to go out to association members the week of July 17 and results should be tallied around the end of the month.

A vote to rescind the endorsement would return the association to a neutral position in the sheriff's race between Stiles and Brown.

Brown is seeking a second term as sheriff; Stiles is aBend Police lieutenant.

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Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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