The verdict is in.

The Hatch Act broke the local news when another candidate announced that he was resigning his part-time position due to this 69 year old federal law. He used the shock value of the little-known law to get his name in the paper, and to challenge the other candidates' right to hold their current positions while running for office, even though the law has not been historically invoked in Indian River County in connection with Sheriff's races.

There were some "knee-jerk" reactions and comments to the news from the other candidates. As the professional administrator of the largest division of our Sheriff's Office, I am faced almost daily with challenging decisions that require the interpretation of complex state and federal laws and court rulings that rise as high as the U.S. Supreme Court. I have over 20 years of management level experience dealing with and working through such complex matters as the Hatch Act, among others.

My immediate response was to seek a formal opinion of the United States Office of Special Counsel in Washington DC. This is the proper and reasonable way to handle this challenge; not to resign before getting the opinion, or publicly stating that this Act did not apply to me, as did the other candidates. That is the difference between reacting and responding. It is the difference between experience and inexperience. It is the difference between a responsive, professional, accountable Sheriff's Office, and a reactionary, undisciplined, inexperienced one.

The Office of Special Counsel is very thorough in its determination before ruling on every individual case that comes before it, and the three page ruling specific to my candidacy has determined that the Hatch Act does not apply in my case. You may view it in its entirety on my website at www.votemcmullen.org