Sheriff wins in landslide

Franklin County Sheriff Craig Davis said he was confident going into Tuesday’s election — and for good reason.

Davis defeated Democrat Byron Goracke in a 8,211 to 2,863 landslide victory, with results showing 170 write-in votes.

“I was confident the citizens were happy with the operation of the sheriff’s office,” he said. “Obviously they’re happy, judging by the vote.”

The jail and the juvenile detention center were the main issues in the race, and they weren’t issues that the two sheriff candidates agreed upon.

“I don’t think anyone is in favor of a new jail,” Davis said.

Davis has said he doesn’t want to build a new jail, but believes it probably is inevitable given the population projections for the county. A new jail likely would be located in the downtown area, he said.

During his campaign, Goracke said he didn’t support a new jail, and believed all other options must be exhausted. If the county built a jail, it should be a smaller facility located in a rural area, where land prices are cheaper, he said.

Davis said the economy is one thing that worries him going into his next term.

“We’re doing OK now,” he said. “When the economy goes down there tends to be more crime. I don’t know if that will happen this time. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Davis said he’ll continue to work on computerizing the county’s law enforcement record system and installing computer terminals in every county patrol car. The project is being jointly done with the Ottawa and Wellsville police departments.

Getting citizens involved in neighborhood watch programs is something he’s interested in, he said.

“They’ll be able to help be our eyes and ears,” he said.

Davis, who has served in the county sheriff’s department his entire career, serving as patrolman, jailer, dispatch and administrator, thanked his supporters who helped him along the way.

“I’m very appreciative that people have confidence in me and the sheriff’s office,” he said.

Davis defeated Jim Honn and Tony LeMaster in the August primary. Goracke ran unopposed.

Herald staff writer Jenalea Myers can be e-mailed at jmyers@ottawaherald.com.