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May 31, 2006
Sheriff hopeful wants to 'clean house' in Nye Co.
By PHILLIP GOMEZ
Jeanette Smith, 64, is running to replace Nye County Sheriff Tony DeMeo, essentially, she said, because of a personal grievance in the way she and her husband were treated by deputies earlier this year. "That's what motivated me to start with," said Smith. With no previous law enforcement experience, Smith has thrown her hat in the ring with heavyweights DeMeo and his predecessor in the office, Wayne A. Lieseke Jr. Also in the running are Ray "Flagman" Mielzynski, Ted Holmes and Mel Jackson, all of Pahrump. "No more 'favors' for political cronies," says Smith without going into specific allegations of what she is talking about. Smith is running on a platform that calls for change in the way sheriff's deputies deal with the public and interact with each other. Her campaign pledge is, "One's work is a signature of oneself." In that vein, she said she intends to serve the public professionally through her own example and by leading the Sheriff's Office in providing more courteous service to the county and to the Pahrump community. "I would expect no more of my staff than myself," says Smith. "A uniformed officer must remember that they are representative of the entire agency." Smith wants officers to always show respect to the public and their fellow officers and to behave with dignity. They should not use "derogatory nicknames, comments or jokes that could hurt or offend other people," she said. "Profanity is unnecessary and unprofessional. No first names should be used in addressing staff members. "Officers need to put forth the effort to build trust in the communities they serve," she says. "When officers are well-mannered and polite, the honest citizen usually responds in kind. That builds morale among the officers, as they are human and have feelings also." DeMeo said that when Smith filed with the county clerk to run for sheriff, she was at first unable to present proper identification because her vehicle was registered in California. Likewise, her driver's license is from California. "I know she was upset," DeMeo said, adding that Nevada law clearly states that newcomers to the state have 30 days to get new registration and a Nevada driver's license. "But we haven't pushed that," said DeMeo. Smith reportedly supplied an electric bill stub with her address to show she was indeed a Nevada resident and therefore eligible to run for office in the state. The Smiths have lived in Pahrump for a number of years. As for Jeanette Smith's campaign promise to improve upon the courtesy of law enforcement officers, DeMeo said: "We don't get rude and discourteous complaints. For the most part, I get complaints about how courteous they are." The law-abiding public is treated with due courtesy and respect, he said, "but if someone has a gun, it's a little more direct. We come into contact with thousands of people a week ... When you don't comply with the deputies, that's war." |
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