Sheriff candidates spar on issues in front of large crowd

Editor’s Note: Tuesday night’s Lee County Republicans' election forum featured the candidates for Lee County Sheriff and Lee County Auditor. The first article will recap the sheriff’s candidates, while the Auditor forum will be featured in an article appearing tomorrow.
FORT MADISON – In just over an hour, one of the largest crowds for an election forum in recent history, saw stark contrasts in Lee County’s two candidates for sheriff.
In a forum sponsored by the Lee County Republican party, incumbent Stacy Weber talked about old school law enforcement and corrections and what has worked in his eight years as sheriff. Challenger Elliott Vandenberg said it was time for a change and more accountability in the sheriff’s office.
Weber is a lifetime Lee County resident and a career law enforcement officer with more than three decades serving in Lee County, the past eight as Lee County Sheriff.
Vandenberg grew up in Lee County attending Keokuk High School and is a former Lee County Deputy and former Wyoming State Trooper.
Vandenberg has a master’s degrees in business management and a degree in legal studies. He was hired by the Wyoming State Patrol  in 2015 and became a field training officer and a background investigator. He was also an academy instructor at the Wyoming State Patrol Academy teaching at local sheriff’s offices and police departments.
“It wasn’t a thought, a dream. It wasn’t until I began working at the Lee County Sheriff’s department that I saw a lack of leadership, I saw inconsistencies, and I got to the point where I said 'I’m going to fix this or I’m not going to be a part of it',” he said.
“That is why I am here tonight.”
Weber said during his tenure as sheriff he’s done the things he said he would do, and he’s accomplished some things that other sheriff’s wanted to get done.
Included in that is bringing in the K9 program, setting up a sheriff’s dive team, obtaining a department rescue boat, keeping CrimeStoppers alive, maintaining a School Resource Officer program with Central Lee, D.A.R.E., and new paperless transitions of ticketing to the Lee County Attorney’s office.
What was a relatively respectful exchange between the two for close to an hour became a little cantankerous over the administration of the Lee County Jail.
Vandenberg said Lee County Jail Administrator John Canida’s salary is set too high and he shouldn’t have a work vehicle.
“It’s not about the person, but the position. We have a jail administrator that has a take-home vehicle. He has no law enforcement power and we’re paying him to start a shift at his house, he drives to work, goes home for lunch, and then he drives home at the end of his shift.” Vandenberg said.
He said before Back the Blue, the administrator position paid about $65,000, and after climbed to about $100,000 because the sheriff tied the jail administrator’s salary to his own.
“With the stroke of a pen from your sheriff and the blessing of the supervisors, that guy is now making over $100,000. How in the world did that get passed in this county and nobody talked about it?”
Weber defended the administrator’s salary and why it was warranted.
“Here’s what I tell you about that. For seven years and ten months, I haven’t had to worry too much about our jail because we’ve had the best damn jail administrator in the state of Iowa. John Canida, he’s standing right there. He runs a tight ship and that correctional staff that he has is second to none,” Weber said.
Weber said Lee County’s jail is known statewide as one of the top jails with several other counties sending inmates here because they aren’t equipped to handle the situation.
Weber tied Canida’s salary to his as part of the administrative team in Weber’s first term as sheriff. When Back the Blue was passed and the sheriff’s salary had to be tied to other administrators of similar sized law enforcement agencies, Canida’ salary increased as well.
Vandenberg said the old school mindset of doing things and getting away with them isn’t the best mindset to have.
He said he would evaluate the budget of the jail because he felt there was money being wasted there.
Both were in agreement and very quick to stand behind the second amendment.
One of the questions pointed to the divide that has surfaced in the department during the campaign season.

Vandenberg said there is a divide but it can be healed by instituting fair and impartial processes.
“So as far as healing the divide, I have no ache in my heart for anyone that’s supported Stacy throughout this process. The day this is over everything will be dropped at the door,” he said.
He said he has good relationships with the current chiefs at Keokuk and Fort Madison and there won’t be healing that needs done there.
Weber said elections are a necessary part of public service and no one really likes the campaign.
“The healing process you’re talking about, I’ve already started trying to do that. I’m trying to put out fires when there are problems or the guys get heated. I don’t want to see infighting. I want them to come to work and do the job they are paid to do. That’s what they’re there for. After I’m elected for a third time, I will sit down with my staff and talk about moving past this,” he said. “I love all my deputies even if they are wearing Elliott shirts. This is America and they’re exercising their rights. That’s what makes us great.”
Weber said it’s not easy to look from the outside and see what’s happening internally. He said he doesn’t see any need for change in the jail, but would like to see more training, but the budget would have to support it.
“Not a whole lot of changes because nothing’s really broke.”
Vandenberg on the other hand, said he has some changes if elected. He said he’s going to be a working sheriff.
“If you’re in my administration, you are going to work. Showing up to work every day, not being involved is not okay. I’m going to restructure the office completely. I’m going to push more positions to the field,” he said.
He said typically there are two guys out on a night shift with no supervisor with them. He said all shifts would have a supervisor.
“To put two brand new guys on the road to handle the most severe calls between midnight and 3 a.m. is not a good practice,” he said.
He said he would also change hiring standards, which he was directly involved in in Wyoming, and he wants to change the field training program.
Weber rebutted that during another answer to say that there were lieutenants on shifts, but there is vacation and paid time off that needs to be worked into the staff of 18 deputies.
The school resource officer in Central Lee also was a topic where the two disagreed.
Vandenberg said the department is constantly changing who is in the school and there is no consistency.
“We're constantly putting that guy in and taking him out, putting another guy in and yanking him out,” Vandenberg said. “I want the schools to have consistency. Those teachers, those kids, they build a relationship with that SRO officer.”
Weber admitted there has been shuffling, but he honors seniority and moved the senior deputy into the spot, who can also do investigations while at the school.
“We work well with Central Lee and they’re happy that we have someone out there to protect our kids. For someone to make a statement that’s done recklessly, that’s not right.”
Vandenberg addressed a question regarding the recently denied permits for speed cameras on Hwy. 27.  He said the data out of the cameras is conflicted and speed wasn’t a factor in any of the eight deaths reported on the stretch in the last year.
Weber countered saying the county could have written 72,000 tickets since the cameras became operational last winter.
“Guys, it doesn’t take a master’s degree to figure this out,” Weber said.
Early voting for the general election starts Wednesday with the general election set for Nov. 5.
A recording of Tuesday night's forum can be found at https://www.radiokeokuk.com/sheriff-auditor-debate-10-15-24/