John Rutherford knows what it takes to be sheriff.
He’s been Jacksonville’s top cop for close to 12 years — balancing budgets, molding one of the city’s key public safety departments and working with local officials during that time. He’s also won three elections for the post.
Next year will be different, though. Term limits will mean the longtime sheriff is replaced. His successor is likely among more than the half-dozen men currently in the running. To date, they’ve raised nearly a combined $1 million — with the top three bringing in more than 60 percent of that.
Each one has priorities they’re telling the public. Ways they can make the sheriff’s office better through their leadership.
Retired director Jimmy Holderfield says the department is a bit “top heavy” and reassigning personnel could put 80 more officers on the streets.
Sgt. Jay Farhat has a similar mindset, saying applying a business-model approach could put more officers in the field and boost productivity and morale.
Retired director Mike Williams said curbing violent crime is his No. 1 goal and can be done through “grassroots” community involvement and going through the office’s budget.
While all the candidates have their own ideas on what running the office should entail, Rutherford has his own advice on priorities, shaped over nearly a dozen years.
Top on his list? Keeping open, good relations with every part of the community. A new face largely means a new start, be it with the politicians in City Hall or with the neighbors within high-crime areas of Duval County.
“It’s a constant work in progress … you’re never done,” he said. “Whoever it is, they’ll have to start over with that.”
He said his successor also has to continue to “set the standard for integrity” with the Sheriff’s Office. And lastly, the next sheriff will have to “continue to fight like hell” for resources. That means working with mayors and City Council members.
Rutherford said when he was first elected in 2003, there were 1,622 officers. That rose to 1,750 — plus 92 Community Service Officers later lost due to budget cuts — to combat crime he said eventually went down. Now, though, budget cuts have lowered levels to 1,603 officers.
Restoring those cuts and the overall budget is a “major issue” facing his successor.
Rutherford is backing Williams in the race, saying he could “hit the ground running.”
Williams retired in July after 23 years and has held director positions in Investigations and Homeland Security along with Patrol and Enforcement.
Community involvement, Williams said, means putting officers back in neighborhoods and having them establish those personal connections with residents. That involvement, in turn, would help drive down violent crime and catch criminals at a greater clip.
“He’s been there, he’s done a budget, he’s heavily involved,” Rutherford said. “It’s important … you don’t want someone trying to learn on the job.”
In addition to Rutherford, Williams also has picked up the endorsement of JaxBiz, the political affiliate of the JAX Chamber.
At $204,307, he’s second in fundraising behind Holderfield’s $217,721.
Holderfield says his 35 years of experience across several parts of the office make him the right choice to be the next sheriff. The former Fraternal Order of Police president also has that group’s backing.
He retired last year as the Department of Corrections director and his career included being a patrol sergeant in Northwest Jacksonville and chief investigator for the City’s Office of General Counsel.
He believes he could repurpose the role of some officers to get 80 officers back on the streets without anyone losing their job or him asking for additional money.
Gang-related violence isn’t as bad as in other cities, but it’s still an issue he wants to eliminate as much as possible. The task forces that deal with elements of gangs don’t communicate, he said.
His idea is to “gut” them and create two — one for each side of the St. Johns River — and staff them with officers and personnel who specialize in areas like robbery, homicide, crime prevention and gangs. The group would directly report to him on a weekly basis in an effort he called “proactive instead of reactive.”
Farhat has a slightly different vantage point when it comes to running for sheriff. The almost 23-year veteran supervises homicide detectives and previously was appointed to the State Attorney’s Office as a special investigator.
He’s also a small business owner and said some of those business practices can apply to the sheriff’s office, starting with reallocating resources. Without laying anyone off, he wants to eliminate several director positions and use those savings to hire more officers and push authority back to non-appointed supervisors. Some units have overlapping responsibilities, which can be corrected and lead to more officers and better transparency, he said.
By eliminating director positions, the reduction in salaries for each could bring at least three new officers each, in addition to the director whose duties would be recast, said.
He said he also has the interpersonal skills to effectively work with the mayor and council members.
Farhat said he wasn’t concerned about not having big-name endorsements because his campaign continues to build support financially. He’s third in contributions with $184,793.
Behind him are several other candidates who have each raised more than $100,000.
Tony Cummings has worked in the patrol and detective divisions and was awarded the Six Pillars of Character, JSO Employee of the Year in 2012. He’s brought in $123,324.
Former candidate, office spokesman and 24-year veteran Ken Jefferson has brought in $114,519.
Thirty-three year veteran Rob Schoonover currently is a lieutenant patrol watch commander of Zone 6 and raised $105,360.
Retired Assistant Chief Lonnie McDonald is a newcomer to the election after filing this month.
Rutherford said he was surprised by how many candidates have decided to run. It was quite different when he ran. The opposition in his first race in 2003 couldn’t come close to the money he raised and it showed in the election results. He dominated the races moreso in the next two elections.
The first election is March 24.
If none of the candidates can garner 50 percent plus one of the votes, the top two would then move on to a head-to-head matchup in the May 19 general election.
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