Sheriff candidates exchange subtle jabs

It took five weeks, but the gloves finally came off – sort of – during a candidate forum.

It happened Monday during the meeting between Steele County Sheriff Lon Thiele and his opponent, Deputy Darrin Helget.

In a rematch of the 2018 race – and in what many see as a less contentious campaign – the two faced off at the Owatonna Country Club in the final forum.

For the past four weeks, candidates running for Owatonna School Board, Owatonna City Council, Minnesota’s First Congressional District and state legislature have met in a noon question-and-answer event.

And for the past four weeks, there appeared to be plenty of agreement on multiple topics, ranging from housing to taxes to teaching the trades.

Monday, though, approached something like a debate – though that’s exactly what moderator Randall Doyal said it wasn’t.

“This is a forum; we’re here to learn from the candidates, not to hear them argue or debate,” he said during the introduction.

Still, whether it was immediate or in response to a different question, each candidate slipped in a rebuttal at various times throughout the event.

During Thiele’s opening statement, he outlined highlights from his 12 years as sheriff, including the fact that he has always remained within his budget.

“My commitment to Steele County residents is every day, not every four years,” he said. “I’ll continue to focus on school safety, safe roads and community involvement. I have the backing and support from several of my employees, sheriffs and chiefs of police throughout the state and nation.”

An hour later, Helget had this to say, in his closing statement:

“It’s been said that I’m a ‘once every four years’ person, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said. “I’ve been a deputy here in Steele County for 24 years; I’ve worked every shift there is. I still work the night shift, 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. I’m working hard every day, I’m involved in the community and I’ve enjoyed every bit of meeting people.”

In response to a question about training and classes they’ve taken in the past four years to prepare them to be sheriff, Helget addressed his own support from within the department.

In addition to all mandatory training, he said he’s voluntarily taken leadership courses and uses “snippets” of the experience of his past managers.

“Most importantly,” Helget said, “I’ve been endorsed by my coworkers, the Steele County Licensed Peace Officers, the deputies’ union.”

Thiele had a rebuttal, after listing his own state and national training, including FEMA courses and “any way I can be a part of learning and keeping my skills crisp is what I do.”

He paused, then added, “not all deputies endorsed this person.”

Both candidates are against legalizing recreational marijuana and believe the sheriff’s office is appropriately involved in drug court. Both also mentioned their ties to agriculture – but even in agreement, there was a rub.

When asked about potential creative ways to secure additional funding for the office – without tax increases, Thiele cited his success with securing grant money.

“I’m over half a million dollars in grants,” he said, including $10,000 to supplement his investigations budget following a homicide several years ago.

“Essentially, all grants are tax money,” said Helget. “Let’s be clear about that.”

In addition, he said, the Owatonna Police Department was “somehow excluded” from the reimbursement for the homicide, despite their role in the investigation.

Still, he said, “I’d look at utilizing grants, but you have to look at the need rather than the want for any spending on the county level, utilizing taxpayer dollars.”

The two disagreed again about whether or not the SCSO is “optimally staffed.”

In a word, yes, said Thiele. In fact, his full-time employee count has increased by five deputies since he took office, with one more planned for next year.

“To have more than enough is all about budgets,” he said. “To be able to pay for everything, from a deputy to a squad car, is a budget item… I think with the caseloads we’re doing, it’s where we need to be.”

“When I go into work and see two open shifts, I don’t believe that’s fully staffed,” Helget said. “There may need to be some restructuring done, to make sure the road is sufficiently covered, rather than the (patrol) constantly being the section of the sheriff’s office that gets lessened.

“I also believe the sheriff and chief deputy should be pulling shifts when we’re down to one or two people on a Friday or Saturday night. That’s one of the things I’ll look at doing.”

Helget also said he’d improve safety at the Steele County Free Fair – which is covered by county law enforcement – by providing body-worn cameras for the officers.

“It’s time,” he said. “I know there’s a cost involved, but it’s been talked about for over four years. Every other agency in Steele County” already has body cameras.

“You can have all the security cameras stationed around the fairgrounds, but if you don’t have the perspective of the officer, you’re missing an awful lot,” Helget said.

Thiele took exception to most of that.

Body cams are in the budget for next year, he said.

“Would I change anything at the fair? No,” Thiele said. The team “is accomplished people; they know what’s going on … I take pride in running logistics and planning, safety and security for that. Steele County Free Fair has been voted as one of the safest fairs around.”