They’ve been spraying residents’ mailboxes like angry, oversize confetti, day after day since last week—11-by-6 cardstock mailers attacking John Lamb, attacking Don Fleming, attacking Jim Manfre, finally culminating with a mailer from the man behind them all: Rick Staly, that one looking brighter and filled with the sort of blurbs fit for an overly flattered paperback.
They’re all among the nine candidates for Flagler County Sheriff (Manfre is the incumbent) in a race that was expected to be nasty, brutish and shrill. Staly’s money, however, has given him a one-sided advantage he’s been riding through the mailer offensive and television ads that his opponents have been unable to counter.
The mailers cost $9,500, a drop in the slosh of money Staly is fronting for his campaign–$121,000 raised so far (at least $50,000 of it his own), or $25,000 more than all five of his Republican opponents combined. He’s spent $70,000 so far, $62,500 of it going to a single entity: Dixie Strategies, Brian Graham’s political consulting group in St. Augustine, which has conducted internal polls, set Staly’s strategy, bought his advertising and crafted those mailers.
It’s not at all a given that Staly’s money advantage will translate into more votes, especially in a local race: his tactics could be alienating voters and unwittingly re-associating him with the sort of heavy-handed style he was criticized for when he was Manfre’s undersheriff the first two years of that administration.
Some of his opponents so far have done what they could through social media, in whisper campaigns, through half-cocked stunts or dismissive dissertations on their websites to discredit each other: many seriously contested and overcrowded political campaigns end up fouled in artless sound and fury. It’s the stuff of state and national campaigns. But few local campaigns in recent memory have offered up as sudden and concentrated bile as Staly’s against his opponents.
The attacks on Fleming and Manfre are nothing new: the two sheriffs who have toggled leadership of the department for the past 16 years were each blemished by ethics lapses that were bound to figure in their opponents’ campaign narratives.
Both Fleming and Manfre were present today at an event at the sheriff’s office, and addressed the Staly fliers in separate interviews.
“How do you address something like that? I’ll run on my record any time compared to Rick’s,” Fleming said. “Rick was a 40-year police officer, I’m sure he had a very good, outstanding career, probably had a few bumps in the road as we all do. Fleming said he had no intention of punching back. “You remember my campaign last time. I have broad shoulders. I can take many punches,” he said. And he expects to be the winner of the primary, and to face Manfre again for what he calls “Rocky IV.”
Manfre was less humorous. “This is Staly at the heart of him, he is deceptive, arrogant, undermining, backstabbing individual,” Manfre said. “This is a true reflection of who he is and the person I unfortunately got to know.” Manfre then accused Staly of appearing in campaign pictures and videos wearing his sheriff’s uniform and badge even though Manfre says he is not authorized to do so: the sheriff’s office sent him a letter telling him so.
Claims in the shape of a smoking gun turn out to be more gossipy than substantive.
Staly said in an interview that he wore a golf shirt while conducting his annual qualification to maintain his status as a law enforcement officer. The shirt was imprinted with ““Rick Staly Undersheriff,” but also noted he was retired. He said he posted a Facebook photo when he was in that short. “I blocked out the badge. I blocked out the center seal in the picture,” he said. That prompted a certified letter from the sheriff’s office’s attorney. Manfre also claimed Staly was posing in his Orange County sheriff’s uniform (as he does in one of the mailers). Staly says he’s complying with an Attorney General opinion and Florida Sheriff’s Association guidelines, which he says authorize him to do just that with the proper disclaimer, which appears on the mailer. “I did have authorization to wear that,” he said.
The skirmishes between Staly, Manfre and Fleming are white noise compared to what has turned into a bitter feud with Lamb.
The anti-Lamb mailer—the one that stole an image of Lamb from FlaglerLive—makes four claims: that Lamb mis-characterized his “self-demotion” at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, that he claims to live in Flagler but is homesteaded in Jacksonville, that he had “three violations which were investigated by Internal Affairs and resulted in disciplinary action,” and that he accepted a campaign contribution from a convicted criminal.
On Wednesday, Graham of Dixie Strategies, the Staly consultant, blind-cc’d local media an email restating the points of the so-called “Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes” mailer on Lamb. Graham took the unusual step of attaching a stack of documents in pdf format, public and publicly available records about Lamb from his personnel file at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, from his property records, and from domain-name registrations, as footnotes to the claims in the mailer.
Staly defended the mailers’ tactic. “The public has the right to make informed decisions,” he said. “There are issues on the candidates and this is just getting the information out. I’m running on my record, they seem to be running from theirs.”
Lamb issued a statement in response countering some of the claims. He spoke in an interview as if he were shaking his head, even terming himself discouraged. “Some of the theories are that he’s done some polling and he’s not doing well in the poll, the other is he’s realized he has the finance to run a campaign like that. I don’t have the money, the resources nor the time to combat it,” Lamb said. “I’m just disappointed and I’m discouraged by that type of campaigning. It’s not indicative of our profession of law enforcement.”
The claims against Lamb are more true than false. But as always with attack ads that consider nuance even more of an enemy than the subject being attacked, the claims are not nearly as sinister as they sound, nor are they as grave as the scarlet-and-black layout of the mailers would have voters believe. There’s no smoke. There’s no gun. And there’s more for the gossip page than the news columns. But the Lamb mailer forces the issue. Here’s a point by point examination of its claims.
Lamb’s homestead: The claim is, in fact, true. Lamb doesn’t deny it. He started renting in Flagler after Thanksgiving 2015 but kept commuting to Jacksonville for work and family. His wife kept living in their Jacksonville home as their two children attended school until the end of the 2015-16 school year. (They now attend school in Palm Coast, where his wife also teaches.) “We will not renew our homestead exemption because neither of us lives there anymore.” But the wooly mailer phrases it more along the lines of a second-rate horror flick: “John Lamb claims he lives in Flagler County… or does he?”
Lamb’s self-demotion: That claim dates back to an interview Lamb gave Brian McMillan of the Observer, resulting in an August 2015 article (before Lamb started renting locally). “Lamb’s current position at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is lieutenant,” McMillan wrote. “He requested a demotion from his position of assistant chief so that he would have a schedule more conducive to running his campaign.”
Lamb never actually said he self-demoted. That was McMlillan’s simplification of the contorted ways of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office’s routines after a new sheriff takes office: appointed personnel resign and reapply en masse. Some are re-hired, others are “demoted” to other positions. Lamb wasn;t rehired, so he took the lieutenant’s position, which he favored anyway as it would give him more time to campaign. “I didn’t give it too much thought until I read the article,” Lamb said of McMillan’s wording, “and I was like, hmm, OK, that’s not really the way I said it but that’s the way it was written. I guess I should have reached out to Brian and maybe cleared that up with him but it’s been so long, I guess it eluded me.” McMillan corrected the record, blaming himself for the earlier choice of words. “I feel bad that probably my interview might have stirred this up,” McMillan said today in a brief interview. He’d hoped his earlier correction would have ended it. Instead, it ended up as one of Staly’s claims in the wooly mailer.
Lamb’s “violations”: The Staly mailer claims there were “three violations which were investigated by Internal Affairs and resulted in disciplinary action.” That statement is mostly false. According to the only remaining record the Staly campaign issued in that email to media, there were three instances in Lamb’s career where Internal Affairs was involved, or at least where an Internal Affairs case number was issued (which one way or another means Internal Affairs was involved, even if it did not conduct a full-fledged investigation). But only in one of those cases was an actual policy violation sustained (Lamb violated the pursuit policy), and he was issued formal counseling (in January 2005). Lamb states correctly that formal counseling under JSO policy is not disciplinary action or a reprimand. It’s counseling.
Staly calls that “semantics.” To most people not privy to the arcana of internal policy rationales, “formal counseling” is a form of discipline. Staly referred to the Live Interview question that asked candidates whether they’d ever been “the subject of one or more Internal Affairs investigation or its equivalent.” “I could have answered the question, ‘no,’ but I didn’t think that was straightforward and factual, so I answered it yes. I didn’t play games,” Staly said, referring to one written reprimand and one oral counseling. Lamb replied to the same question with “No.” He’s not lying. But he’s sticking to the letter of the question, not its spirit, at least in the case of the violation of the pursuit policy.
Regarding the two other issues, the anti-Lamb mailer is flatly wrong: there were allegations of improper action that resulted in a referral letter, but nothing was sustained, no violation found, no disciplinary action taken.
Accepting a campaign contribution from a criminal: True, Lamb accepted $100 from former Flagler Beach cop Robert Milstead, who was convicted of a third-degree felony for abusing a disabled adult. Lamb said he didn’t know of the contribution until he read about it in the flier, and plans to return the money. “Maybe if you lived here and you know this community he would have known that,” Staly said of Lamb.
One item was not mentioned in the anti-Lamb mailer: on Sept. 2, 2015, after Lamb had launched his campaign, his campaign manager, Mark Bialkoski bought the domain name staly4sheriff.com, presumably to pre-empt Staly from using it or to use it in ways that would benefit the Lamb campaign. It was never actually used, though it disturbed Staly, who would have used that very url for his purposes. Lamb says he wasn’t clued in about the site name purchase until about two weeks later, and that Bialkoski had done it “with his own money.” It had not been declared on the Lamb campaign’s financial expenditures, as far as Lamb knew. “There’s some things that he’s done I regret that being one of them,” Lamb said.
Bialkoski had previously been a fan of Staly, too, and his ethics. In a comment on the FlaglerLive story about Staly’s resignation from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in March 2015, Bialkoski had written: “I am sorry to see him go. My guess is Staly no longer wanted to be around Manfre and all of his lawsuits as he is a truly ethical man.”
Thomas Higgs says
This is getting ridiculous!!
OhISee says
“13. If you have been the subject of one or more Internal Affairs investigation or its equivalent, or a use of force complaint, please tell us in what agency, when, what the circumstances or issues were, and what the disposition was in those cases”
If there were instances in Lamb’s career where IA was involved, then to answer “No” to this question is untruthful. Would he have to admit it if he were applying for a police job at another department? You bet so to say “No” in the Flaglerlive interview is untruthful no matter how you look at it. Lamb also needs to check on a skeleton in the closet of one of his team members. You can judge a mans character by those he associates with.
As far as Staly, he should be truthful about his own demotion in Orange County and Republicans here should take note that he ran for Sheriff in Orange County as a Democrat, endorsed Jerry Demmings for Sheriff, a Democrat and helped Manfre and worked for him for two years.
Though I think Whisenant is a non issue it should be noted that he too ran for Sheriff as a Democrat in his home town.
Lamb, Staly and Manfre are not the answer for the Sheriffs Office.
Ron says
Staly a wolf in sheeps clothing. John Lamb should be our choice.
Drumpf says
The bar has been lowered by Trump and his rabid supporters. This is the new norm for Republican politics. Get used to it!
RAYMOND BRILLI says
I’ll be voting for Jim Manfre- he’s done a great job during his term-
Plastic Badge says
Anybody ever see the movie “Cop Land”? This back and fourth is worse than the friction they’re polyester uniforms cause when they rub together.
Concerned says
Wow, Staly is as scary as Manfree. Send him back to Orange County. We don’t need him here.
I did my part today, an early vote for Lamb. We would be lucky to have him.
r&r says
Staly is not the one to hold this job. He has ran a dirty campaign.
Kendall says
It’s very clear that Staly holds the citizens of this county in very low regard. He is using ugly and divisive tactics to win. Can you imagine what he would do within the agency if he were the leader?
Lori Young says
Wow… not someone we will be voting for.
Agnese Spicer says
so much junk mail
Old Lady says
So fed up with this nonsense! these guys must be running for president
Life long citizen says
I would like to point out the gentleman in this race for sheriff. Retired FCSO Larry Jones. He has my vote and that of my entire family. He told me that he views the Sheriff position as a position that would him to continue serve the public as he has for 30 years here in Flagle. Amazing man. Humble and honest.
Brad W says
Rick Staly is the example of what Flagler does NOT need. With his history of backdoor attacks on superiors and others along with this disgusting underhanded attacks, it says to me that if Rick Staly were to be elected it would be like electing Kimberle Weeks as Sheriff. As a registered Republican, if Staly wins the Primary I will be voting Democrat.
It’s time for Flagler County to stand up at the ballot box and tell candidates that we don’t want these types of candidates running by voting “NO” to Rick Staly. Send the message that we demand quality, and that those who plan on engaging in this trash can just not bother running.
Anonymous says
Staley is scared. Lamb is being supported by the deputies and he knows it. This is just how he operated at the Sheriff’s Office. He is sneaky and underhanded. Lamb all the way!
Christopher says
Based on his smear tactics, I would never consider Staley. Throw your garbage elsewhere, Rick.
Roy Bean says
What difference does it make who becomes sheriff. None of them will change the criminal behavior in this place. We need ROBOCOPS and a ROBOSHERIFF !!!!
tulip says
The disproportionate amount of campaign money, although legitimately donated, is unfair. The person with the most money (Staly) can unleash all kinds of ads and attacks and the others can’t.
If each candidate in both local, state and presidential were told that they could only have a certain amount of money to spend on a campaign any way they want, I think it would be a more level field where candidates can promote their experience, background and advantages rather than waste money with nasty tactics. At least the post office makes money on it.
I personally thought Staly’s attacks on Fleming were very demeaning and hurtful. The one’s on Lamb, not so bad. The one on Manfre well, he deserves it.
Staly must be very very worried about Fleming or Lamb beating him.
palmcoaster says
We will also re-elect Jim Manfre as has done a great job in our community taking away or keeping crooks out since we voted him in. Response time for calls the best ever with Manfre and our deputies cordial and professional.
Dennis says
Staly says he’s running on his record. If he’s confident in his record why does he have to resort to mud slinging. The tactics are more in line with a politician than a cop. Makes me wonder if he wasn’t behind the firing of the senior command staff at the Sheriff’s Office when he and Manfre took the helm. A good sheriff would have had a meeting with the command staff to bury the political hatchet and got on with the peoples business of providing police services to this county. Like it or not, law enforcement is a para military organization. They would have followed the orders of the new administration like it or not. Besides, they forgot more about law enforcement than Manfre ever knew.
I disagree that counseling is a form of discipline. I sergeant or lieutenant might counsel a deputy on a better way of handling a call or even a personal matter. That’s not necessarily discipline.
Lets elect someone to run the Sheriff’s Office that the Deputies can trust and respect.. At least someone who has walked in their shoes.
Ken says
Rick Staly likes to pass himself off as ethical, principled and of high moral character. However, his history in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Flagler County Sheriff’s Office have proven otherwise.
He was formally demoted as Undersheriff (said position abolished) in February, 1999 and reassigned as Division Chief of Training. This resulted in a $20,000 decrease in annual pay (quite a sum of money in 1999). He was eventually transferred to Communications Center as Director. Shortly afterwards he “retired”. His parting words to the press were, “I had become disillusioned with government service. I was tired of my career and future being controlled by others.” I’ve noticed that he has not used former Sheriff Kevin Beary as a reference.
Mr. Staly then went back into government service (must have had a change of heart) as Sheriff Jim Manfre’s Undersheriff. Whereas he set about undermining Sheriff Manfre by orchestrating a set-up that resulted in Mr. Manfre being fined $6,200 by the State of Florida’s Ethics Commission. His tenure during that period resulted in alienating most of the Deputies in the department where many of them resigned and sought employment elsewhere. That atmosphere still exists today.
Mr. Staly is not the person many believe he is. He may have been successful in business, but he is not of the quality to be the next Sheriff that Flagler County deserves. His efforts to buy this election and lie about his opponents speaks volumes as to his character, integrity, ethics and leadership. Is this really the best that Flagler County can do? This man should NEVER be Sheriff!
girl says
Oh yea, Rick Staly is worried about Fleming and Lamb…the way to go is Fleming… he knows this county, he knows this office and the deputies… we do not need a Sheriff to have on the job training.. Fleming is the way to go… Vote Don Fleming… we need him back…
Anonymous says
Staly has spent a pile of money attacking his opponents rather than convincing us what he would do as Sheriff to make it better for the citizens in Flagler County. This in my opinion is a man who is vindictive, evil, full of hate, and will do anything to climb to the top. I will not vote for this man at any time.
Know says
@ Anonymous,
The deputies are not all supporting Lamb as your post suggests. In fact they are very few. The majority of employees sworn and non sworn actualky support the forner Sheriff of 8 years. I know.
Laura says
Thank you, Flager Live, for exploring these claims. I am shocked at Staly’s tactics and detested at his signs and mailers which serve as a reminder how this contestant is more focused on paying $$$ to spin fallacies about others than sharing with the voters his own record. Staly’s absence of character was once perhaps only known to those who actually worked with him and/or a bit in the Manfree/Staly headlines but now he himself foolishly exposed his gross flaws to the entire Flagler voting population. Loudly, and repeatedly. Wow. #anyonebutStaly
Bermuda says
Rick Staly = An unprofessional Bully with $$$$$$$…….Don Fleming & John Lamb = both being true gentlemen and professional. It was funny to see yesterday at the community center, one of Rick Staly’s campaign workers was all by himself on one side of the road, on the other side, campaign workers from Don Fleming, John Lamb and Larry Jones were all congregated in one small area having a good old time, the only thing they were missing was a few beers and burgers for a cookout. Even though they knew they are supporting different candidates for Sheriff they were one happy family having fun. One must ask why can 3 different opponents from both the republican and democratic teams all get along and have fun and the one from Staly’s team not even fit in with the others, that in itself is making a strong statement.
davet says
Like one poster noted if a candidate like Staly who talks about how qualified he is, resorts to slamming Its losing votes in my book. A person can do a lot with having money as a back up in politics, mail flyers, TV spots etc.. But its doesn’t mean you are the right person for the job. Manfree had his chance so its over, enjoy life.
carol says
NO, no and no to Staly!
Not a good candidate.
woodchuck says
Hey ROY BEAN we may get a robo cop he is already making robo calls.
Bc. says
Does it matter who the sheriff is this county it is filled with so much crime it would take the rock Dwayne Johnson to help us out we need a strong man for sheriff who will inforce the laws patrol our neighborhoods and bring our crime down not some fancy talker like we have now we NOW. WE need a mans cop I have not figured that out yet but I no who is not quilafied and I no who is There is a lot of good men out there I am leaning towards the leautinet from JAX AT LEAST HE HAS GROND ZERO EXPERIENCE with street knowledge I am sure he has my vote
Flagler4Trump says
Staly represents and is promoted by the divisive “Big Tent” Republicans. They are so inclusive you can’t tell them apart from the Democrats. They’re always peddling political opportunists like Staly.
Nobody says
@Know
Actually, the deputies DO support John Lamb and you’re just trying to convince reader of otherwise… Nice try
Anonymous says
if there was ever a slight chance I was g onna vote for staley its gone now…..too many attack letters made me realize he is vindictive.
my vote will go for lamb for sure
Ws says
Lamb is the man for Sheriff and he will win! Everyone I talk to is voting for Lamb so the rest of them can start looking for a new job.
Oldseadog says
Dirty campaign tactics often BACKFIRE! Some People Only Rain On Your Parade Because They’re Jealous Of Your Sun & Tired Of Their Shade—I sure think that is what is happening here and I’m so proud of the
other candidates for this important Office who are not stooping to such a low level.
Steve says
I hope that those who are bashing the candidates because of their records will not be voting for hilLIARy for president because that would be hypocritical.
.
DaveT says
@ BC, you should have lived in the Orlando area where crime is way out of control. FYI : Staly didn’t get it done in Orange County and he for sure can’t get it done in Flagler County. A vote NO for Staly is a vote for progress in our county. .We don’t need some figure head or a premadonna as Sheriff we need someone who will actually get out from behind their chair and lead and build a team and actually work for the people of Flagler County.. . I just don’t see that in Staly. .
Ron says
John Lamb needs to clearify his occupancy in Flagler county? What are you hiding? Is it true your wife is on leave from the Jacksonville police force for one month? If you do not get elected you will just return to Jacksonville. Is it true that the home you are renting is not oppcupied and not furnished?
So what is the truth?
OhISee says
Lamb’s latest post card mailing received yesterday raises a question for me…..it states:
“John and his wife Nanette, who is also a police officer, are dedicated to law enforcement service”.
Is this now a misleading statement? Last we know, she quit her law enforcement job in Jacksonville to take a non law enforcement job here in this county. I guess the definition of “dedicated” has new meaning these days.
I’m not attacking his wife, just the statement made in the mailing.
Insider Maestro says
It makes me laugh when I read what people think they know about the inner workings of the sheriff’s office. I have worked here for a long time, and more often than not, the supposed “insiders” are full of it.
Most of the deputies seem to support Lamb, but there are quite a few that support some of the others. The biggest problem with Fleming is all the promises he makes and his infamous buddy system. If Fleming is elected he will do more harm than good.
Ws says
Lamb is the man for sheriff and he will win! Everyone that I talk to is voting for Lamb so the rest of them can go start looking for a new job.
Richard S. says
I wonder if in this crowded race for Sheriff, we could get a community organizer from Washington, DC to run for the position?
Qualifications be damned!
Donald Trump's Tiny Fingers says
Remember, this is a political position. The behavior that you see exhibited by these candidates in the spotlight is tempered by the fact that they want to be elected. Expect far, far worse behavior in office, because once they’re elected they can only be eliminated by recall or at the next election by voting for someone else. If your candidate is “technically correct” in answering a question but didn’t respond in the spirit of the question, expect a sheriff that technically does stuff by the book but not in the spirit of the law. If your candidate runs a dirty campaign then expect a dirty sheriff. In my opinion, O’Gara, Lamb, Staly, Manfre, and Fleming are people that don’t deserve the position of sheriff, assuming the people of Flagler county really want a sheriff. Case in point, look at the platform that Manfre ran on during the last election cycle: transparent and ethical policing. How’d those ethics turn out?
JustBNice says
John Lamb is the man for us! His honesty, transparency and integrity are qualities we need in a sheriff.
december says
Got another “robo” call yesterday, don’t know how old Mr. Staly’s children are, but she said she was his daughter and went on to a speel about why we should vote for her Dad and not for Mr. Lamb. I understand
backing your family but if this person is as young as she sounded well can say even less for Mr. Staly.
Know says
@ Nobody,
Where are you that you can say you know who the deputies support? I know where I am and iI know where the majority of support is so relax, don’t take it personal. As a Lanb supporter you are pretty judgemental in pretty much calling me a liar. “Judge not, snd ye shall not be judged”. Luke 6:37.
Fed up! says
I have a Lamb sign in my yard because he is the candidate for sheriff I choose to vote for. Staly stopped at my house with his wife (obviously seeing the sign) and proceeded to speak ill of Lamb and tell me why I should not vote for Lamb. Then Staly carried on about his “accomplishments” and threw in the occasional jab at Manfre. My neighbor is a registered republican without a candidate’s sign in his yard, but Staly has never contacted him. This has completely rubbed me wrong. He singeled me out because he saw Lamb’s sign in my yard. Now for the last couple of weeks, I have been inundated with his disgusting fliers in my mail box every single day. Staly, you are truly a classless person. People already have bad enough opinions about the Republican Party. You certainly have not helped any.