MAGA Sheriff’s Post About Harris Yard Signs Gets Department Booted From Election Duties
www.thedailybeast.com
Bruce Zuchowski, a Trump-supporting Republican, likened migrants to “human locusts” and called the vice president a “Flip-Flopping, Laughing Hyena.”

The sheriff’s department in Portage County, Ohio has been stripped of its election security duties after its MAGA sheriff said people displaying Kamala Harris signs in their yards should have their addresses recorded so illegal immigrants can be sent to their homes.

Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski, a Donald Trump-supporting Republican seeking re-election, likened migrants to “human locusts” and called Harris a “Flip-Flopping, Laughing Hyena” on his personal and campaign Facebook accounts earlier this month.

…

The Ohio Secretary of State’s Office determined last week that Zuchowksi’s post didn’t break state election laws, but local citizens expressed their discomfort with having an immigrant-hating MAGA sheriff in charge of protecting the vote.

Over 100 people attended an emergency meeting called by the local NAACP chapter, the *Ravenna Record-Courier *reported. Frank Hairson, the communications chair of the NAACP chapter said people told him: “They’re afraid to vote. They’re afraid to put signs in their yard.”

🗳️ Register to vote: https://vote.gov/

  • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.orgEnglish
    223·
    2 months ago

    local citizens expressed their discomfort with having an immigrant-hating MAGA sheriff in charge of protecting the vote.

    They should, uh, also have discomfort with an immigrant-hating MAGA sheriff in charge of protecting the community. Vote him out when he’s up for re-election.

      • Admiral Patrick@dubvee.orgEnglish
        26·
        2 months ago

        Nice. Not sure what to make of his opponent based on the website. No major red flags come up, but I’m sure the people in Portage County probably know him and where he stands on things way better than I do.

        OTOH, the website is largely boring and factual, so I’m assuming he may not be that bad? The MAGAts are usually running from similar scripts, and this doesn’t seem to fit that.

        • Volkditty@lemmy.worldEnglish
          9·
          2 months ago

          He’s a Democrat and he hasn’t made national news for his despicably racist remarks about immigrants. Outside of that, who really cares what the county sheriff’s platform is? If I lived there, I’d vote for him.

        • funkless_eck
          7·
          2 months ago

          Is it normal to know anything at all about your local Sheriff?

          I had to do three google searches and then scroll down for a while to even find my local one, then their bio was so dull when I looked it up it was difficult to pay attention to it.

          …distinguished career in law enforcement includes experience with various law enforcement agencies serving the metropolitan area. … going on to serve with both the City and the County Police Departments. In 2008, applied that experience to the creation of the public safety office for the rapidly expanding College …became the Assistant Chief of Police and…

          • vaultdweller013
            5·
            2 months ago

            The only thing I know about my local sheriffs is that regardless of politics they are probably trash. Fucken San Bernardino.

    • assembly@lemmy.world
      49·
      2 months ago

      Zuchowski followed up to his own Facebook post last week, saying his comments “may have been a little misinterpreted??”

      Fucking how were your comments misinterpreted???

      • meeeeetch@lemmy.world
        39·
        2 months ago

        Well, when read by someone who isn’t currently waiting for the green light to kill all liberals, it was supposed to be interpreted as a joke.

        Right up until he and his deputies showed up armed at their door making it clear it was no longer a joke.

    • AbidanYre@lemmy.worldEnglish
      43·
      2 months ago

      Anyone know portage county’s policy on recall votes? Maybe they can help his term end early.

      • CaptDust
        11·
        2 months ago

        Two issues - it’s likely too late to recall him, the time it would take to get through the legal processes would be longer than voting him out in November. Secondly the secretary of state has already abdicated his responsibility in the matter.

        The Ohio secretary of state’s office said it did not plan to take any action.

        “Our office has determined the sheriff’s comments don’t violate election laws,” said Dan Lusheck, a spokesperson for Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose. “Elected officials are accountable to their constituents, and the sheriff can answer for himself about the substance of his remarks.”

        https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2024/09/20/ohio-sheriff-condemned-harris-signs

        • AbidanYre@lemmy.worldEnglish
          8·
          2 months ago

          On one, his term of office could be ten years for all I know. Is he up for reelection this November?

          On two, I do remember seeing that now that you mention it. But wouldn’t a recall petition force the SoS to take action?

          Edit: He is up for reelection currently

    • Rhaedas@fedia.io
      12·
      2 months ago

      I did wonder on that - are all sheriffs typically voted in, or are some appointed? And is there a rule about failure to do your job and appointing a replacement until the next election?

      • wjrii@lemmy.worldEnglish
        9·
        2 months ago

        Sheriffs are generally elected, but the scope of their responsibility varies widely in different jurisdictions. In some places they are mostly responsible for some combination of courtroom bailiffs and serving legal documents and running the county jail. In others, they’re the primary law enforcement that citizens will deal with on a daily basement basis.

        • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
          4·
          2 months ago

          It varies state by state, and even county by county. Some are directly elected, some are appointed by other elected officials.

          Direct elections theoretically make sheriffs accountable to voters, but realistically almost no one cares who the sheriff is unless they directly stir up a controversy. Bad but quiet sheriffs can fester for decades.

          It also causes issues with them being accountable to other elected officials, like the mayor or city council.

          Directly appointing Sheriffs makes them accountable to whoever appointed them, who are in turn accountable to voters. It can lead to sheriff roles changing more often if the appointing body shifts, and can result in cronyism.

          Personally I think they should be appointed, but have independent, direct oversight outside of the appointing structure.