To the Editor:

John F. Kennedy once said, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."

This quote makes me think of one candidate for St. Lawrence County sheriff, Detective Rick Engle. He is the candidate who, during an April debate-style Q & A, said that he would sit down with and seek input from others on key issues. Learning and hearing from others is an essential part of leading and learning. Engle said repeatedly that he would do this if elected county sheriff. He said, "I'm a believer in teamwork and I think if you get the right group of people around a table to mull the problem over you can come up with a solution to it."

His opponent, the current Undersheriff, said he would not sit down at a table with others and seek input. His exact words were, "I'm not gonna sit around and get a bunch of people around a table and talk about it. The people in this county are electing a sheriff to lead, not a table of people to lead. This is a one man job. Somebody's gotta make decisions at the end of the day and it's gotta happen because your rights depend on it. Period." This concerns me.

Rick also suggested getting more training for law enforcement from mental health professionals to help them better understand and respond to those types of calls. Again, recognizing that we can and should learn from the experts. I believe we need to elect a county sheriff who acknowledges that leadership is an action, not a position.

Arlene O’Marah Kiah
Ogdensburg