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CANDIDATE Q&A Name one specific goal that you have for the Sheriff’s Office. Exactly how will you accomplish that goal over your four-year term if elected? Thompson: Drug Reduction “We are working on a new program here in the county. It’s called Project CADDY – Coalition Against Drugs Destroying our Youth.” Russo: Crime Reduction “My big goal is to try to get a handle on the crime increase that’s been here in Bland County.” How can the Sheriff’s Office realistically improve response times considering the number of officers and the county’s size? Thompson: Staff Coordination “Realistically I don’t know of any way it can be improved much because of the fact that we’re a very small department and most shifts there is only one person working…We try to coordinate so there is always someone on duty, and there is always someone on duty.” Russo: Personnel Increase “Really the issue of manpower is the main thing… I think a logical response in dealing with that would be to go to the comp board and see about getting the necessary personnel to kind of have some additional deputies out on the road.” What’s the most-pressing law enforcement challenge facing Bland County and how would you address that challenge? Thompson: Prescription Drugs “The problem we have with prescription drugs is most people get the medication legitimately and of course they sell it. But if they have a bottle with them for their prescription, there’s really nothing we can do until you catch them actually in the act of selling their prescription. I have asked for help from the DEA.” Russo: Small Population/Large Coverage Area “The real challenge is, well, Bland is a small community. There are people that still have a mindset that, being a small community, not a lot goes on. But you also have people that see Bland changing and those changes have not been for the better… A lot of times when people see a deputy’s car in a certain area, they know hey, they’re around and it’s going to make them think twice before they try something.” What’s one thing about yourself that the voters probably don’t know? Thompson: Raises Beef Cattle “My life’s pretty much an open book for anybody who wants to know… I’ve lived here probably 95 percent of my life.” Russo: Quiet and Reserved Nature “The only hobby I’ve got is my kids, getting them to their after school activities and stuff like that.” Name a person you admire and why? Thompson: Roy Rogers (childhood) and Ronald Reagan “Roy Rogers is my hero. He always got the job done. He never had to shoot anybody, he didn’t curse…. Later in life, I think probably Ronald Reagan was my hero because he came from humble beginnings and it just reflects the American Dream.” Russo: Father “I guess the only person I can think of off the top of my head would be my father. He was also in law enforcement until he retired. He was also quiet to a point, but he was also the type of person who spoke his mind. If he felt strongly about something, he didn’t have any problem speaking his mind.”

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The race to be top cop

By NATE HUBBARD/Staff

In 2004, Mark Russo and Jerry Thompson worked together to combat crime in Bland County.
Now both men are involved in a tight campaign of conflicting views as they vie to become Bland County’s next sheriff.
Like many challengers, Mark Russo, running as an independent, is presenting himself as the agent for change. Meanwhile incumbent Republican Jerry Thompson is pointing toward the successes of his first four-year term and asking the voters to consider his experience.
The candidates don’t agree on much – except for their mutually acknowledged strained relationship. And the pair hasn’t grown closer on the campaign trail.
Russo served as a sheriff’s deputy under Thompson for a little more than a year until his dismissal in February 2005.
Make that Feb. 7, 2005 – Russo hasn’t forgotten the date.
“That is still to be decided,” Russo responded when asked for an explanation for his release. “That circumstance has never been made clear. I was looking for answers and was never given any. So the only thing that I can come up with was that I was doing my job and for some reason, somehow, somebody wasn’t happy with it.”
Thompson cited personnel laws in saying that he couldn’t elaborate on the circumstances of Russo’s firing, calling the situation “unfortunate.”
He added that he would like to have a better relationship with Russo, but that he hasn’t been surprised to see Russo with some bitterness after his dismissal.
“I wouldn’t mind for it to be friendly, but he doesn’t wish it to be so, he doesn’t acknowledge me,” Thompson said. “And, you know, I didn’t expect him to love me after I fired him. He does his thing, I do mine.”
Russo said that he and Thompson have seen each other a lot in the past few months, but mostly avoid direct interactions.
“Well as far as I’m concerned it’s just, you know, former employee former boss type of thing,” he said. “We pass each other on the road or we’ll see each other at different functions and stuff. It’s – how would you put it? – civil, that’s about the best way I could put it.”
Both men also echoed confidence that the election would go their way.
Russo said he was encouraged to run for sheriff by multiple members of the community who said they wanted to see change in the county’s law enforcement practices.
Along the campaign trail, Russo said his conviction has only been strengthened that he has the support of Bland County citizens.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence,” he said. “Feedback that I’ve been getting from folks that I’ve spoke with has been very positive. From what they’ve told me, is just they feel like it’s time for change.”
Thompson, on the other hand, said his experience and track record speak for themselves.
The current sheriff was a member of the Virginia State Police for 33 years before taking the Bland job. He said the addition of school resource officers and the capture of many drug dealers has improved the welfare of the county during his four years in office.
“I think even though we have a drug problem, I think if you look around you’ll see the major dealers in the county are either in jail or they’re going to be,” he said.
Whoever prevails in the contentious race will be well compensated. The salary for a sheriff in a county the size of Bland ranges from $61,059 to $66,737 per year.
Both candidates, though, pointed toward their commitment to improving the community as their reason for running.
“I enjoy this work, I really do,” Thompson said. “I’ll continue to work hard.”
Russo, who has lived in Bland County for 13 years after growing up in Stafford County, said initially he was concerned he would be viewed as an outsider. But he said it was the people of Bland that spurred his bid for the office.
“I think the people here in the county was the big deciding factor, having them come to me and ask me to do this,” he said.
Although Russo is advocating change, he said one thing that he wouldn’t do is change current personnel unnecessarily. He hopes to add more deputies to the force to improve response times and as a visible deterrent to crime, but he said Thompson’s deputies could still have a place on his staff.
“Nothing really is going to change as far as people go,” he said, adding that the deputies would just have different responsibilities.
Although Russo can’t match Thompson’s lengthy state police tenure, he too has plenty of experience in law enforcement.
Before working for Thompson, Russo started with the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office in 1989 and also spent time working law enforcement in Pulaski County and Wytheville.
Russo also said he believes his experience is more relevant to Bland County’s current situation.
“Basically I feel that my field experience and the training that I’ve had in law enforcement puts me in a better position to understand the needs of what the county is going through right now and addressing those needs,” he said.
With the campaign nearing a conclusion, neither man said he has any last-minute strategies to try to win.
Both candidates said they have tried to meet as many Bland County residents as possible and participate in all the social events they could manage.
“I’ve eaten barbeque until I’m sick,” Thompson said with a laugh.
Russo said meeting people has been his favorite part of his first experience with politics.
“Of course Bland isn’t that big, but you realize how big it is when you try to start knocking on doors,” he said. “I think one of the best things that has come out of it has been getting to meet a lot of people that I didn’t know prior to this.”
The voters will have the chance to decide their preference for the top law enforcement officer in the county on Nov. 6.
And that’s the way it should be, Thompson said.
“I wish my competitor luck, no ill feelings on my part and thank God it’s a free country where he can run,” Thompson said. “I feel confident. With politics you never know what is going to happen, but I’m confident. I’m proud of the job that I’ve done and I have no regrets. Whoever sits here works at the pleasure of the people and if the people want change that’s how it is.”
Russo added that he’s eager for Election Day to arrive.
“I want them to realize that things don’t have to stay the same,” he said about the people in Bland County. “You never know until the last vote is counted.”
Nate Hubbard can be reached at 1-800-655-1406 or .