Vote 2002
The Iceman runneth... for sheriff
Pelle would properly prioritize pot
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by Staff (Editorial@boulderweekly.com)

Joe Pelle (D), a Boulder Police Commander, is considered a shoe-in to replace Boulder County Sheriff George Epp after November's election; his only opposition comes from Libertarian Bo Shaffer. Epp, a popular sheriff, was unseated by state-imposed term limits.

"I'm confident about the race," Pelle says. "I want people to understand that they have not only one choice, but a good choice."

Pelle has avoided campaigning on the BPD clock, but says the demands of the race have taken up "my lunch time and my evenings for the past two weeks."

As sheriff, Pelle doesn't plan any immediate changes at the sheriff's office. "I'm going to pour myself into the place for three to six months and get to know the people there, and I'm not going to make any changes at first," he says.

Pelle will continue Sheriff Epp's "common sense approach" to issuing concealed carry permits, including interviews, background checks and staff time reimbursements. "I will continue to issue permits per that policy," he says.

Pelle dislikes the term "War on Drugs" and acknowledges that marijuana laws are being liberalized internationally. "As the county's No. 1 public safety officer, marijuana is not going to be a large part of that effort. But we have to continue to be responsive to calls from concerned parents about open-air drug markets," he says.

But highly flammable, illegal methamphetamine labs are public safety hazards, and Pelle says he'll direct much of the Boulder County Drug Task Force's efforts toward eliminating the growing number of these toxic labs. This will lead to increased pressures on the Boulder County jail, he says.

"I'm convinced we're going to need to expand our jail at some point." Unlike Sheriff Epp, Pelle believes Boulder County can get by with an expansion of the current, 14-year-old jail; Epp favors new construction.

Bo Shaffer's (L) claim to fame is that he delivers dry ice to Nederland's famous "frozen dead guy," Bredo Morstoel, once a month.

Hired by Morestol's grandson, Trygve Bauge, Shaffer continues the strange experiment in low-tech cryogenics following Bauge's deportation to Europe. Shaffer makes $600 per month for the ice run, and wants to add the sheriff's salary to his monthly haul.

Shaffer has raised no funds for his campaign but expects to be considered a serious candidate; he has spent about $1,000 of his own money. "We are serious, but the problem is elections should not run on money. That isn't the way it should be done."

Shaffer says his opponent, Boulder Police Commander Joe Pelle, illustrates what Libertarians always say about Republicans and Democrats: they're interchangeably alike. Pelle, a former Republican, acknowledged Boulder County reality and registered as a Democrat before running for sheriff.

The county needs a Libertarian sheriff to stop the drug war, Shaffer says. "They won't be able to do their unconstitutional operations in my county if I'm sheriff."

Shaffer says that county sheriff is largely an administrative and managerial position, but Shaffer hasn't fared well in his current executive role as chairman of the Boulder County Libertarian Party. It looks "grim," he says, because with only four of nine board positions filled, a quorum is difficult; Treasurer Paul Tiger resigned last month. And there's an apparent discrepancy in FEC reporting that needs straightening out.

If elected, Shaffer says he would improve response time to outlying areas of the county. He'd also add an undersheriff position even if he had to "cut loose some of my sheriff's salary in order to fund it."

Shaffer, an independent environmental consultant, sees himself as an "efficiency expert" who, as sheriff, would implement "better utilization of the resources we have."

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