Hommes takes sheriff's race

Local News

Related Photos

P-R File Photo

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.

comments powered by Disqus

November 3, 2009

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG The Press Republican Wed Nov 04, 2009, 01:56 AM EST

ELIZABETHTOWN — Incumbent Essex County Sheriff Henry Hommes will return to office after a significant victory over his challengers.

The retired state trooper, who has 12 years on the job, took the race with 5,280 votes, beating Michael "Ike" Tyler and Robert Kirby, with 3,086 and 1,319 votes, respectively.

As the final, unofficial numbers were tallied Tuesday night, Hommes said he felt "pretty good" about the outcome.

"I think this certainly vindicates me and shows that the people think I'm doing the right things."

As he looked toward his next term, Hommes said he wants to continue housing outside prisoners at the county's new 120-cell jail to help bring in additional revenue.

"Hopefully, we're going to continue to do that, and we'll just have to go from there."

He plans to continue providing "the best service I can for the people and keep the burden off their backs with taxes and fill in the niches that other agencies can't."

Hommes won the Republican primary and also ran for re-election as a Conservative and an independent.

Both Tyler and Kirby ran as independents.

During his campaign, Tyler, a Westport native employed by the Department of Correctional Services, had criticized what he called a "skyrocketing budget" in the Sheriff's Department.

Tyler congratulated Hommes on his win "and for running a clean race."

Tyler also thanked those who backed him in his challenge.

"I was overwhelmed by all the support I got. I ran for the people of Essex County, and I'd do it again."

Kirby, former town justice for Wilmington and longtime volunteer EMT and captain of Wilmington Fire and Rescue, had raised training issues with the jail and its budget.

"I'm very disappointed, obviously, but that's the way our system works. I wanted to make that jail pay for itself, like they intended it to. We need to either generate more revenue or get out of the boarding business."

The former master-level police instructor had said he wanted to restructure the facility's boarding procedures and renegotiate the contracts to more adequately cover the operating expenses.

"My message was that because of the jail, the budget has skyrocketed, and because it has skyrocketed, the sheriff wasn't able to provide other services that we need," such as full-time road patrols.

But, he said, "I guess Sheriff Hommes has done what the majority of voters have wanted, and I give him my best wishes for another term in office."

E-mail Andrea VanValkenburg at: avanvalkenburg@pressrepublican.com