Sheriffs offering election advice

SANDUSKY — You may have noticed there are sheriffs in Ohio offering advice on who to vote for in the election. Ottawa County Sheriff Steve Levorchick has endorsed Republican Bernie Moreno for the U.S. Senate. Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn has endorsed Moreno's opponent, incumbent U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio. And Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski generated controversy last month when he said people should single out homes that have signs promoting Kamala Harris for president. Erie County's sheriff, Paul Sigsworth, said he avoids partisan politics because he wants everyone to feel comfortable dealing with the sheriff's office. "When somebody calls 911, we don't ask them if they're an 'R' or a 'D.' We just send help," Sigsworth said. "I try to take for the most part a neutral stance," Sigsworth said. "I serve everybody in the county regardless of political affiliation. My priority is public safety, not partisan politics." Sigsworth said he's speaking for himself and not commenting on other sheriffs. "I don't say that to criticize the sheriffs who have chosen to take those types of positions. I just don't do that," he said. "That's my own personal belief." Sigsworth said he did agree to publicly endorse Issue 31, which would provide funding for The Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Erie County. That's not a partisan issue, Sigsworth said. "We see it every day. All law enforcement does. We see the negative effects of untreated or under-treated mental health issues," he said. Moreno endorsement Levorchick's endorsement of Moreno includes a 30-second TV ad paid for by Moreno's campaign. The ad, which shows Levorchick riding in his patrol car while in uniform, emphasizes the immigration issue, claiming, "Brown and Democrats voted repeatedly to protect sanctuary cities" and to release "dangerous illegal immigrants" from jails. Levorchick didn't return calls for an interview, which were placed on his office telephone on Tuesday and Wednesday. The sheriff has scheduled a Community Safety Forum on Immigration for 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the Liberty Aviation Museum in Port Clinton A "Friends of Sherrod Brown" campaign email cites the support of Mark Wasylyshyn, a Republican sheriff in Wood County. "As a lifelong Republican, I don't always see eye-to-eye with Sherrod on every issue, but when it comes to fighting the fentanyl crisis, no one has done more for Ohio than Sherrod Brown," Wasylyshyn said. "Sherrod has always put party aside to fight for Ohio from making sure Ohio law enforcement have the resources they need to keep our communities safe and keep dangerous fentanyl out of Ohio." Perhaps no sheriff in Ohio has attracted more attention for his partisan political comments than Portage County Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski which includes the cities of Kent and Ravenna. In a post on Facebook, Zuchowski told local residents to send him the addresses of Portage County residents with Harris-Walz political signs in their yards, saying they would be used to house illegal immigrants. The ACLU of Ohio sent Zuchowski a letter accusing him of violating the Constitution by attempting to suppress speech. The ACLU threatened a lawsuit. The message was removed. Zuchowski is up for re-election and faces a Democratic opponent, Jon Barber, who has accused Zuchowski of voter intimidation. Sigsworth, a Democrat, and Levorchick, a Republican, also are on the November ballot, but neither man has an opponent.