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Take the time to read this article(click here).  Remember the current Sheriff still says we do not have a gang problem.  Also remember when Ferguson is pressured about gangs, he will say if we do have any, they are in the cites where he has no jurisdiction (click here).  At a recent Sheriff’s debate the Ferguson alluded to the fact that gangs started in Rogers.  The Sheriff was shooting jabs at Sgt Cradduck, a candidate for Sheriff.  I felt the Sheriff was saying if you the citizens of Rogers and the Rogers Police had their act together we would not have a gang problem in Benton County.  Remarkable!  Ferguson blames the City of Rogers for gangs.  However he will ask you for your vote while saying, remember if you reelect me as your Sheriff and you live in a city there is nothing I can do to keep you safe because I have “no jurisdiction”. Remarkable, again!

You know what would be informative?  If Keith Ferguson, Sgt. Kelly Cradduck and myself would sit down on live radio to discuss the issues of gangs, the holding of Federal Prisoners and other issues that have surface during the campaign?

Keith my campaign will pay for the hour of radio time if you do not want to share the cost. 

Another solid week for the campaign! Attended three networking coffees and one Chamber of Commerce meeting. These meetings have given our campaign good exposure to a cross section of business owners.

This week’s “Too Funny” comes from a supporter from the Beaver Lake area. Here is his email….

Holly/Andy:

Use this at will, too funny.

A very elderly lady in our community was walking by my house yesterday
as I was raking a few leaves. She kindly asked me ……….
Is Andy Lee a good realtor and has he gotten me any good offers on my house”
I sad “who?”
She said “I see your sign here and I was looking for a good realtor myself!”
I had all I could do to hold my composure.
I was gentile, kind, and all ended with the facts.
She was dead serious!

Jim Platanitis

This coming week our campaign has been invited to two talks. On Monday, March 24 we will be giving a short talk to the Bella Vista Republican Women. They hold their meeting at 9:00 AM inside Concordia in Bella Vista.

The second talk will be hosted by Northwest Arkansas Property Rights Association on Tuesday, March 25th. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM and is held at the old swimming/restaurant complex at Lake Atlanta in Rogers. KURM will do a live broadcast.

Well the “Silverbacks”, fergie’s sign chasers will get a break. I am out of signs, so I guess I will hold off buying any peanuts, dang! Too funny……

I am going to close on a sad note and give you a heads up about something.  My brother who lives in Florida has been assigned to Hospice and is not expected to live very long. He had surgery a few weeks back when the doctors discovered he had cancer in his liver and lungs.

It is amazing how fast cancer works. It was believed without treatment he would live for six months which gave him time to visit with doctors to see what his options for treatment were. Not in God’s plan. When he passes I will travel to Washington D.C. where he wants to be buried. My brother is a Marine and served in the Koran War. He was wounded and was a recipient of the Purple Heart. Say a prayer would ya……….

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I know I am being redundant, but we had another super week!

I did pick up the box on the FOI (click here for story) and paid my money. Hopefully the info is worth it!

Every day this week except Monday, our campaign had an event to attend.

Because of the feed back from everyone of these events we attended, I will once again make a prediction that the Sheriff will back off wanting to expand the size of the jail. The holding of Federal Prisoners is short lived.

Everyday I spoke to small groups and one of the issues was the jail. They were interested in the Sheriff’s race and listened to the facts or should I say the lack of facts about the claim the jail is full.

The Sheriff does not recognize it but he is hurting his chances of reelection by claiming the jail is full but he has room for Federal Prisoners and not local arrest and that is ok with me……

Man the sign locations are pouring in!

Just wait until Thursday of this week, when we can start putting up signs in Bentonville. I can tell you the Silverbacks (see last weeks update) will stay busy chasing our signs.

Jan Holland and Jim Brassart were two big sign locators. Thanks you two! Big thanks to Ken Bower and Mike Rose. We spent a full day on the sign locations that Jan and Jim secured for us.

We finished our week with a big coffee at Scott and Barbara Turner’s home. Thanks to everyone who attended and thanks to the Turner’s for opening up their home once again!

Words can not express how well this past week went. This campaign gains strength every week.

There are several talks coming up with all three Sheriff’s candidates, so be looking for Holly’s email notice of the events.

In closing let me express what I have said several times during this campaign and it is the number one goal all law enforcement should have its sights on.

Our number one goal is not to go out and catch the bad guy or see how many drug busts we can do or how many arrest we can make. Our number one goal is to PREVENT the crime from ever happening. That my friend is what real law enforcement is all about………..PREVENTION!!!

PS. I know my wife is going to have something to say about what I am about to say, but I have to have my one “too funny” in this update.

If you remember in my last update I briefed you on how the Fergie camp has “Andy’s sign chasers”? If not up on the “sign chasers” then read last weeks update.

Well I have figured out a way to slow the “chasers” down. Every time I put up a new sign this past week I would leave a couple of bananas on the ground next to the sign. It worked! The last report that came in was there were two, what appeared to be Silverbacks, on the ground slugging it out over a couple of bananas. Too funny……

Holly Holyfield continues to hold the fort down on the financials - Thanks Hol!

Thanks to all of you for your support. Have a good day,

Andy

PS… peanuts next week!

Week of March 2.

Ok a little humor and then onto some serious stuff. I was made aware that Ferguson’s camp has an “Andy sign chaser squad”. Their marching orders are to go out and look for our signs. As it was described to me when a new sign of ours is spotted the “squad” would do the old “Chinese Fire Drill”. The “squad members” jump out of their truck, run around it a few times, trying to get themselves in step, grab their sign hanging equipment and proudly place a “fergie” sign within two feet of ours. But here is the good part, when the “fergie” sign is finally up, the “Andy sign chaser squad” will turn, face our sign and like an old pair of “Silverbacks” marking their territory, will rise up and beat on their chest! Too funny…………Now I am sure, but not positive, the story could be a little fictional. However we do know that “fergie” has “Andy sign chasers”, so maybe the rest of the story is true…….Too funny, again!

This has been anther good week in getting in front of the voters. Thanks to Steve Elkins our week finished in front of the Rogers Optimist Club. The two main issues I spoke bout were the failure and consequences of not taking notice of gangs in the early 90’s and why we need a new Juvenile Detention Center. Several of the Optimist members came up to me after the meeting. Their remarks were positive and they thanked me for speaking. I would like to take this time to thank the Optimist Club and Steve Elkins for the opportunity to speak.

Saturday was a blow out!!! Thanks to David Ibarra for his help. David and I went business to business yesterday and our campaign was well received. If you remember last week I predicted that the Sheriff would back off the issue about increasing the size of the jail and after yesterday’s campaigning I am still predicting that and here is why. Our campaign has public statements by the incumbent, that if he could expand the size of the jail, he would start holding not only the Federal Prisoners from Arkansas but he would like to pick up the Federal Prisoners that are held in a private prison in the State of Louisiana. Almost every business we visited yesterday had something to say about the jail. Several of the business owners we visited said they are not only concerned the Sheriff is using beds to hold Federal Prisoners when these beds should be available for those who are arrested in Benton County, but they are extremely concerned about housing hardcore felons from across the United States. It amazed me how sharp the citizens of Benton County are. It was quickly pointed out that bringing in felons from outside of Arkansas, what the incumbent is doing is creating a new networking opportunity for those federal prisoners and local inmates…… That is a little scary!

Linda K is still keeping our campaign out in front of groups. We all had hot ham and bean soup served by the ladies of the Eastern Star Chapter. It was not only enjoyable but fun. I saw and visited with several old friends from Bentonville. My mother was an Eastern Star member and my father was a 32 degree Mason. All though my mom and dad are no longer with us, it was nice visiting old friends from the Bentonville area.

The yard sign request came in well this week. Almost to the point we could not keep up. (Ya know I just have to throw this in; I wonder how the “fergie sign chasers” are going to deal with all the yard signs popping up?) Too funny…………..

Spoke with Scott Turner this week. Looks like he has a big coffee lined up this month! Said it looks like 50+ guests. Thanks Scott. Holly will get the information out to all of you.

We are still getting request for signs from Siloam Springs. Thank you Siloam!

Bentonville signs are just waiting to go up. No political signs can go up until March 20. (You think the “fergie sign chasers” were busy in the Rogers area, just wait until the 20th. We will keep them hopping, promise!) Too funny…………

This week!

I was contacted last night by a person who wants to take me to three business coffees this week. I will let you know how they turn out.

It looks like Phyllis Edwards has done it again. She is lining another talk in front of a company. It sounds like there are around thirty employees that I will be able to address reference the campaign. Thanks Phyllis, looking forward to that visit.

Best to all this week. Based on the reception I received this week, you must know your hard work is paying off. The Ferguson camp had better pay attention. Thanks to all of your hard work, we have now turned the corner and taking the lead………Andy.

This update is a few days late.   AT&T has not been our friend this week.  Our phone line went down Monday and is still down.  So off to Starbucks to get online!   Last week was another incredible week.   Linda K has once again out done herself.  She got Holly and me in front of two more groups.  Linda invited Holly and I to a tea party at the Crumpet Tea Room located near Pinnacle Hills Shopping area.   Nice visit with a group of nice ladies, but you talk about one feeling like a fish out of water.  Ya know, those tea cups were not made for a man to drink out of!!!  I was surprised that when Holly and I were introduced to the club, I was also asked to say a few works.  Twenty five minuets I was still speaking.  Well not really that long, but I was given a comfortable amount of time to speak.  After I sat down one of the ladies asked if I had bumper stickers.  So I went out to the truck and retrieved a hand full.  Usually bumper stickers don’t go over well, but to my surprise several ladies took a sticker.  As one lady picked up a sticker she said her husband does not let bumper stickers on their vehicle but she said he can’t keep it off of her golf cart.

Based from feedback I get after giving my thoughts about the incumbent wanting to add another pod to the jail.  I am predicting the Sheriff will back off from wanting to enlarge the jail.  I say this for couple of reasons but mostly because every time the incumbent tries to justify increasing the size of the jail his facts about the jail change and the public is picking up on that.  A comment was made, that it appears the numbers of the inmates rise the closer we get to an election.  A common feedback responses I hear from the public is they don’t want Federal Prisoners housed in Benton County.  I find that surprising given the fact I am not criticizing the incumbent for holding Federal Prisoners but I am criticizing the incumbent for taking up bed space that should be used to serve the needs of Benton County citizens, not the Federal Government.  Most agree that turning away an inmate that is to serve time in our jail because the bed is being used to hold a Federal Prisoner is just wrong.

In the next debate with the incumbent I am going to point out several inconsistent statements he has publicly made. Our incumbent needs to do his homework before giving out facts.  I once heard from, of all people, a “politician” say that his daddy said to always tell the truth.  That way you don’t have to worry about what you said when the same subject comes up again later.  Well that holds true with facts you give out.  Our incumbent is all over the board when he speaks about anything he has done in the last five years.  So the next debate will be very interesting.  There are several things the incumbent has given out facts on that change every time he talks on the subject. I will expound later on this issue.

Curtis Wilson and I had a wonderful day last week securing sign locations in Rogers.  We also had a great time talking about how the Sheriff’s Office was back in the 80’s and how the Office went from being one of the most struggling Sheriff’s Office in the State to the most looked up to. Yes Curtis we did come a long way, but it was not because of me, it was because of good people like you and all the men and women who worked with the belief that Benton County Sheriff Office could become the #1 Sheriff’s Office in the State, if not the region.  And we did!!!

Ken Bower and Mike Rose were also a big help in putting up signs last week.  Even though they fought like a couple of kids and did not listen to instructions well, we had an enjoyable time.  Thanks guys!

I will close as this is getting a little winded.   I just want to say thanks for everyone’s help.  Also the yard signs are in and I am official.  I paid the filing fees and I am now officially a republican candidate for Sheriff.