Well, here we are yet again in another election cycle as early voting is already underway. Yavapai County was once considered the most Conservative County in the entire country. Yet integrity or perhaps the lack thereof seems to be the preferred norm to get elected. Far too often as seen over the past few years incumbents refuse to debate their opponents. What is it our elected officials are afraid of?
My question is: Why are we the voters allowing them to get away with this hide-and-seek display of disrespect for “We the People?” Far too many elected officials hide from having any type of meaningful debate with their opponents, yet they will continue to seek our vote, and do so with arrogance as though they deserve it.
Such is the case for our Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes. On several occasions, I have personally reached out to him to debate his (then) opponents, Dough Eckenrod and Jon Wright. Perhaps I caught Sheriff Rhodes in a weakened moment, immediately after a County Board of Supervisors meeting, as he stated personally to me he would debate them.
Shortly after his personal commitment to me, to debate his opponents, it was discovered Sheriff Rhodes filed a challenge against both Doug Eckenrod and Jon Wright regarding their petition signatures. After a court hearing regarding the validity of the petition signatures, only Dough Eckenrod advanced as an opponent against incumbent Sheriff Rhodes.
So here we are yet again. Why will Sheriff Rhodes NOT debate his one and only opponent? Maybe the following video might have something to do with his refusal to debate.
From the Prescott Times: https://www.facebook.com/ThePrescottTimes/posts/award-winning-journalist-bill-williams-speaks-about-his-discovery-of-the-problem/998930208906256/
Recently on Andy Powells, The Purpose Project, Andy sat down with Journalist Bill Williams. Mr. Williams appears to connect the dots, here in the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department regarding pre-trial Diversion, Behavioral Health/Mental Health support for inmates and their family members, as well as contracts for said services, apparently directed or influenced by them, the county Chief Jailor David Rhodes, now running for re-election as the Yavapai County Sheriff and his wife April Rhodes, while working for one of the health contractors. No matter how much of this is or is not true, I have no personal knowledge. I do believe these should be concerns to be openly discussed and debated in a public venue.
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In fairness to Sheriff Rhodes, I reached out to his campaign manager, Ms. Cathy Underwood, and discussed this video with her. Her position, as expected, was very much in support of her candidate. I respect that position.
My specific purpose in calling was more than just asking for some response either verbally or in writing regarding the video. I wanted to yet again give Sheriff Rhodes the opportunity to debate Doug Eckenrod publicly and put these concerns to rest in front of the voters. Here is Sheriff Rhodes’ response via his campaign manager.
Below is a text I received from Ms. Cathy Underwood, dated 7/6/2024.
“This post is Sheriff Rhodes’s position on the video you questioned. New post going out. It’s time to vote and the ugly side of politics is rearing its head. I have worked hard to campaign on my experience and the issues without disparaging my opponent. In the last month, a few video interviews have been posted by a small group who support my opponent. These videos contain false information about me and the operations of the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. They are filled with conjecture and negative innuendos. This information is patently untrue. No one has contacted me or the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office for timely and accurate information from the source. If you come across any of this material, please disregard it for what it is. Anyone with questions is welcome to email me through my campaign and we will get right back to you. Info@reelectsheriffrhodes.com. Thank you for your support.”
Here is the link to the above statement.
As of this morning, July 8, 2024, Sheriff Rhodes’ campaign manager, Ms. Cathy Underwood, informed me that Sheriff Rhodes will not debate his opponent, Mr. Doug Eckenrod.
You, the voter, need to do your due diligence. Listen, question, and challenge all candidates to understand who they are and what they stand for, then decide on the candidate of your choice.
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David (Cowboy Dave) Segall is chair of The Arizona Republican Assembly of Yavapai County.
