Meet the Candidates
| Published 10/22/04

Graphic by: Zoe Brown

During a highly active national election year, many forget that local and state offices are also being sought after. Radford City is no exception with both the sheriff and commonwealth's attorney positions up for grabs. With both incumbents being Democrats, the local Republicans have been working to take control of these very important offices.

Ashlee Claud, the Director of Radio/TV and Communications Services here at Radford University, served as the moderator. Questions were submitted by the audience and presented to the candidates in an order determined by a draw of straws.

Incumbent Sheriff Terry Alley presented simple and pointed answers to questions regarding his office's lack of state accreditation. He said that accreditation was a time consuming process, and something to shoot for. He pointed out several times that his office went beyond its prescribed duties to save money by washing their own cars and doing janitorial work. When asked about future avenues to additional funding, he said he would continue pursuing grants from the federal government.

Mark Armentrout, the challenger for the sheriff's seat, was often combative and critical of the current sheriff's performance. He pointed out that he is from Radford and has its best interest in mind. Armentrout told the audience that accreditation would help solve liability issues. He said that departmental training was needed in different aspects of law enforcement.

 Often Armentrout reminded the audience of his education and how he felt it to be superior to Alley. The fact that he has been endorsed by multiple local non-partisan organizations was a staple of Armentrout's answers. When asked about funding, he said he would pursue any avenue for additional funding.

The incumbent Commonwealth's attorney, Chris Rehak, spoke heavily about the issue of drugs and gangs. Citing the DARE program, Rehak said he also wanted to get rid of the dealers. He said that he would not agree to the no-drop policy which would prevent assault accusations from being thrown out. He said that victims deserve the best representation possible in such cases.

On the issue of sentencing guidelines, Rehak said they were important and working well. He also pointed out his extensive training on how to execute the duties of his office by informing the audience that he answers legal questions in the middle of the night. He said that television shows, like CSI, often skew what law enforcement can actually do. Rehak said he wants to represent the victims who cannot speak for themselves.

The challenger, Patrick Moore, started by saying he wanted to start fighting drugs in the schools. By teaching "Say No," and the consequences of drug involvement, he pointed out that getting rid of the buyer will eliminate the need for dealers. Moore also agreed to the absence of a no-drop policy.

Moore told the audience that murder cases are his top priority. He often criticized his opponent for taking too long on the pending murder cases. He promoted the no-parole system as a consequence for violent offenders. An often repeated point of Moore's speech was that citizens should get the same treatment regardless of their race. He said that the only endorsement that matters to him is that of the residents.

This "Meet the Candidates" forum was held on Oct. 14 at the Council Chambers of the Municipal Building. It was sponsored by the Radford Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters, Main Street Radford, NRV branch of the NAACP and the Radford University Student Government Association. This friendly forum saw many periods of applause and laughter.