OCEAN CITY -- Candidates for Worcester County's sheriff and state's attorney had a chance to spar before voters this week, one of the last chances to make their views and policy positions known before Election Day.At the forum featuring 18 candidates and incumbents, State's Attorney Joel Todd defended himself from questions about photos that appeared on campaign mailers sent to voters county-wide.
"How do you ethically justify using pictures and names as if they support you in your political mailers without that person's knowledge or without their consent?" asked Lee McClafflin, chairman of the Worcester County Republican Central Committee.
"Somehow, in the haste to get that to the press, the wrong draft was sent to the printer. It was an honest mistake, nothing more," said Todd.
Todd, a Democrat, also said there were several people pictured on the mailer who did endorse him. The photo caption was supposed to say "Joel Todd with community leaders" but appeared as "community leaders support Joel Todd," he said.
Todd and Republican opponent Beau Oglesby, Deputy State's Attorney for Caroline County, traded barbs for an audience of about 50 at American Legion Post 166.
Todd, 55, touted his prosecution of three dozen murder trials and 25 years experience."Change for the sake of change is not good," he said. "The question is, how do you tell whether it's time for a change or not? I would indicate to look at the record."
Oglesby said his 14 years of experience as a prosecutor in Caroline, Dorchester and Wicomico counties has taught him the ways a state's attorney's job should, and should not, be done.
"Just because someone has done something for a very long time does not mean that it's being done the best way, and it does not means it's being done by the best person," Oglesby said. "I have a more well-rounded perspective of looking at the office."
Oglesby, 41, also touted endorsements from several Lower Shore fraternal orders of police.
"I promise you, my endorsements are genuine, and there are people who stand behind them," he said. "I suggest to you those endorsements speak volumes."
Candidates for Worcester County Sheriff also spoke. Sheriff Chuck Martin will not be seeking re-election.
Democratic candidate Bobby Brittingham, 52, a retired Worcester sheriff's deputy, said he wanted to be "proactive, not reactive" in the office.
He said he would make the issue of bullying in schools a priority for law enforcement, and would work with state and federal agencies to ensure drug dealers aren't living in publicly subsidized housing.
"Our schools and our children are suffering," he said. "They're suffering from bullying by their peers to deal drugs, to commit crimes."
Republican candidate Reggie Mason, 65, now the chief deputy for the Sheriff's Office, said his office recently formed a partnership with law enforcement in Virginia that has already yielded several significant drug busts.
"It's all about teamwork," he said. "It's not about one individual agency. We're going pull together our resources, and we're going to work hard to continue to make Worcester County safe for all."
