Published: October 09, 2008 11:59 pm            

GUEST VIEW: The right man for Niagara County Sheriff

As a retired employee of the City of Niagara Falls and the Niagara Falls Water Board and as a former unit president of the United Steelworkers Local 9434-00, I have been acquainted with and worked with Capt. Ernie Palmer for several years. Together, Palmer and I sat on a committee along with the other presidents of the United Steelworkers, uniformed police, police brass, uniformed firefighters, fire brass and exempt employees of the city of Niagara Falls and created a Health Care Package. The health care package that we created provided a no loss of benefits to all employees of the city of Niagara Falls, including the mayor and City Council, while maintaining a no-cost increase for health care benefits to the taxpayers of the city of Niagara Falls.

As a professional peace officer, I have seen Capt. Palmer dedicate countless hours to supervise and lead the Detective Bureau to investigate and solve crimes in such a timely manner so as to get the bad guys off the streets. In achieving this goal, it is obvious to me that this was not done alone, but that Capt. Palmer relied on the detectives that he worked hand-in-hand with on a daily basis as a leader. Mutual respect between Palmer and the detectives enabled his division to perform to their utmost to serve the citizens of Niagara Falls.

I have also witnessed the dedication of Palmer on a personal basis. In early May 2006, my mother-in-law met a violent and tragic death due to the actions of a now convicted criminal. Capt. Palmer, along with his detectives, worked endlessly to find the person who took my mother-in-law’s life. A week after this heinous crime was committed, Palmer contacted me personally to tell me that the culprit was caught and confessed to the crime. This occurred the morning of the funeral service for my mother-in-law. With family and friends around me, I was too emotionally distraught to relate to everyone what had just happened. Capt. Palmer, at this time, became not only the chief of detectives, but also a compassionate and compelling soul and addressed the contingency of mourners telling them what had just occurred.

Capt. Palmer is just what all of Niagara County needs as our next sheriff. His knowledge in the field, strength as a leader and supervisor, ability to work hand-in-hand with his cohorts, but most of all his compassion to the people he serves is why we have to vote for Ernie Palmer as Niagara County Sheriff on Election Day, Nov. 4.

Thomas R. Vitello Sr. is a Niagara Falls resident.

        

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