To the editor:

It has been my privilege to work side by side with Miami County Sheriff David Duchak for over 30 years. Without question, he is a man of integrity and honor, and has a work ethic that is second to none. Sheriff Duchak came up through the ranks beginning as a road deputy, promoted to sergeant, then to lieutenant and placed in charge of the Detective Section. Thereafter, the Sheriff was promoted to captain, and later to chief deputy. He has 13 years of experience managing one of the largest and most complicated budgets in County government. Moreover, Sheriff Duchak has done an outstanding job throughout his law enforcement career, especially as our Sheriff. However, his opponent refuses to acknowledge these truths and instead, chooses to spread lies and deliberate distortions. For years I have let this nonsense go but enough is enough. A willingness to say just about anything in an attempt to get elected is bad for the community. After his second losing campaign in 2020, he was sued for defamation, libel and slander and ended up settling which is to say, in my humble opinion, he tapped out before being defeated. One would think that this little episode would have taught him to clean up his act because this is Miami County, Ohio, not Washington D.C. However, the tactics have not changed and our community is left to endure yet a third round of our Sheriff’s challenger engaging in the same unfortunate behavior.

I am a Veteran of The United States Air National Guard, and I love our country and our Veterans. But let us talk about Sheriff Duchak’s opponent in terms of his law enforcement experience. His law enforcement career consists of working for four different Sheriff’s Offices and two smaller Police agencies, just part-time, a large percentage of the time. Importantly, neither the four Sheriffs nor the two Police Chiefs in question ever saw fit to promote him. Therefore, he has never served in a supervisory capacity in law enforcement nor been responsible for managing a budget, especially not a multimillion-dollar budget. Additionally, Sheriff Duchak’s opponent has an extensive and documented history of failing to pay his own local and state taxes in a timely manner (one of these violations occurring within the last few weeks). (for verification of this fact go to http://courts.miamicountyohio.gov /eservices/home.page.2). These facts should cause grave concern amongst the voting public. Why, because they reveal a candidate who has a history which demonstrates an inability to manage his own financial affairs, with no managerial or budget experience wanting you, the voters, to put him in charge of one of the largest staffs in County Government and millions of your hard earned tax dollars.

Finally, as County Prosecutor I work very closely with the County Sheriff and his office on a daily basis on matters that are essential to the safety and protection of all citizens, and the health and welfare of many others. Having a person with the experience, expertise, and right temperament in that position, is essential and important to us all. We have that person in Sheriff Duchak. I appreciate your time and respectfully ask you to join me in giving Sheriff Duchak your vote on March 19th

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Anthony E. Kendell

Miami County Prosecuting Attorney