Politics Hit Sheriff-Run Comm Center

Madison County (Ohio) voters narrowly elected Kip Thomas as their new sheriff, and he now says he’ll ask all the employees to re-apply for their jobs on January 1st. Fearing the comm center would be left with no one to answer 911 calls, now-sheriff Clayton Lowe urged commissioners to move administration of the 911 center from the sheriff’s office to the commissioners themselves to provide some protection and reassurance to the dispatchers. The commissioners approved the plan, even though Clayton asked the commissioners to wait until he was in office to make any 911 changes. Clayton said he has no plans to fire anyone, but simply wants the re-application process so he can evaluate the staff that he has. However, he did tell 911 director David Camp he would lose his job on January 1st, when he takes office. Before their vote, Camp told commissioners, “This election put dispatchers under a lot of stress. I need them to be concentrating and focusing on their job and not whether or not they have a job.”