Reader says Vandenberg has leadership necessary to be next sheriff

My name is Blake Johnson. I am a resident of Lee County. I served in the military and was honorably discharged. Recently, I was employed by the Lee County Sheriff's Office. I got to know Elliott Vandenberg while he was employed there. Elliott exhibited great leadership qualities as I got to know him. Not only is he compassionate and caring towards his peers, but he also has an impressive knowledge of law enforcement. His professionalism when dealing with the public is superb. He treats everyone with respect regardless of the situation. He is smart and shows excellent poise under pressure. It's easy to see why the vast majority of the law enforcement officers in Lee County are supporting him; he brings new energy to a challenging job. I have served under many different leaders in my years in the military and civilian life. Hands down, Elliott would be the man I would choose as my leader of the Sheriff’s office. I know many other veterans like myself support Vandenberg for Sheriff.  Reach out to the local police officers and ask questions. You will find it’s almost unanimous across the board. They all support Elliott just like I do for similar reasons. Some of the officers supporting Elliott are Democrats and some are Republicans. Party affiliation set aside, Vandenberg is the clear choice in this race. Don’t listen to the recent smear campaign attempt. I was there at the event and can say it was completely made up. Disappointing someone would attack someone’s character like that in attempt to gain a political advantage.