DAVID NORTHThe Los Alamos Daily Post should be commended for the fair and thorough coverage of the LWV Forum incident involving Sheriff Lucero and John Horne. Unfortunately in so doing, a potential for perilous confusion was created.
Most often when someone needs help or suspects illegal activity, citizens will call 911. However, after reading your story more than one Los Alamos resident has learned that if you really want quick, decisive, overwhelming action – even if it’s just something that sort of bugs you – the most certain way to handle it is to call Jaret McDonald. That way you can skip dispatch and get directly on the hot line to the police chief.
Ironically, it was precisely this kind of confusion that the County Council is trying to protect us from by asking us to vote away our Sheriff.
Imagine the chaos if Mr. McDonald has his phone turned off? Or alternately, the constant interruptions of County Council meetings if his bid for election should succeed? Sure, we might save some money by reducing the dispatch budget, but is it worth it?
Nor is there such a simple solution to the problem as with the Sheriff. We cannot amend the charter to remove Mr. McDonald from the county (or perhaps all McDonalds to put the confusion to rest once and for all). No, this cat’s out of the bag and it’s not going back in.
