EAST IDAHO ELECTS: Jefferson Sheriff shares his vision for the next 4 years

RIGBY — EastIdahoNews.com was proud to sponsor town hall political meetings in Jefferson County this week. Nearly 100 people gathered in the Harwood Elementary School gym on Wednesday and Thursday night as we spoke with candidates running for county commission, prosecutor, and fire commission.

We also interviewed the sheriff, who is running unopposed, and District 2 County Commissioner Scott Hancock, who is also running unopposed.

The town halls were part of a series of forums featuring candidates running for political office in East Idaho. The Idaho primary will be held May 17.

Sheriff Steve Anderson has been serving as Jefferson County sheriff since May. He was appointed after Sheriff Blair Olsen was indicted and found guilty of misusing public funds.

Anderson agreed to sit down with EastIdahoNews.com reporter Nate Eaton and answered the following questions and questions from the public:

• You took office at a very difficult time. Sheriff Blair Olsen was convicted of misusing public funds and the Attorney General conducted an intense investigation into the office. Have you read that investigation and what’s been done since you took office to fix the problems?
• We hear a lot about transparency in local government. Have you been transparent since you took office and what are you doing to make sure you’re serving the public in an open and honest way?
• What do you hope to accomplish over the next four years?
• There’s an nationwide focus on law enforcement dealing with people suffer from mental illnesses. What training is being done with your deputies to handle with these sensitive situations?
• Why are you the right man for the job?

Watch the video above to see the entire forum, sponsored by Scotty’s True Value.