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November 3, 2009

Hommes takes sheriff's race

By ANDREA VanVALKENBURG

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

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