Election 2004

Challenger can't ruffle sheriff's confidence

Content to let his term speak for itself, Sheriff Bob White responds to opponent Darlene Greene's criticisms but says little else.

By STEVE THOMPSON
Published November 1, 2004

For incumbent Sheriff Bob White, no news has been good news. Although his predecessors often found themselves mired in controversy, White has sailed through his first term with few negative headlines.

In a mostly quiet race, his opponent Darlene Greene has cast the state of the Pasco Sheriff's Office in a dim light, saying White has led it poorly. Her Web site decries "unpublicized outrageous mismanagement and confusion."

Asked in a recent debate to elaborate on these accusations, Greene cited a poor flow of communication between the ranks. She said deputies should have more input in the budgeting process.

"There's very little communication up and down," she said. "That's the mismanagement as far as I'm concerned."

If White has said a negative word about Greene, the St. Petersburg Times has not been around to hear it. He is content to run on his record and seems confident that the county's residents see that record favorably.

When well-wishers bid him good luck in the race, he likes to respond, "It will have nothing to do with luck, that is, if you go vote on Nov. 2."

Greene has taken issue with White's 2001 disbanding of the agency's domestic violence unit.

White says additional domestic violence training for all deputies has resulted in significantly more domestic violence arrests.

Greene has complained that White has not equipped his deputies adequately, saying the agency does not have enough cameras to go around for photographing crime scenes.

White lists new Tasers, new laptop computers in patrol cars, new radios and an upcoming new report-writing system to counter Greene's claim.

Four years ago, White faced tough odds. Before being elected sheriff, he was a sergeant in the state Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, where he supervised seven people.

After spending a 23-year law enforcement career with stints with the Florida Highway Patrol and other agencies, he seemingly came from nowhere to unseat two-term incumbent Lee Cannon.

But Greene also is no stranger to being the underdog. She started at the Sheriff's Office in 1969 as a clerk. In the early 1970s, then-sheriff Basil Gaines promoted her to detective. She was the first woman in uniform at the Sheriff's Office.

She became a patrol deputy and was promoted to the rank of sergeant, then promoted several more times until she retired as a major.

In her 31 years with the Sheriff's Office, she became the agency's highest-ranking woman.

Steve Thompson can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6245, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6245. His e-mail address is sthompson@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 1, 2004, 00:11:20]