The circumstances of the sheriff-coroner campaign debate between standing Sheriff Rod Mitchell and Deputy Francisco Rivero concern me and should concern all Lake County citizens interested in fairness, transparency in government and the value of informed decision making.

The debate is scheduled for 6 p.m Monday, Jan. 11, at Kelseyville High School.

Debates are opportunities for the public to get to know what the candidates have to offer so they can make informed decisions. But this debate is closed to the public. Because the debate is closed to the public, Deputy Rivero will be at the school early to answer questions interested parties may have.

I initially understood the debate was closed to the public because it was being hosted by the employee union for employees only. While it is ideal to allow public access to government activities, having worked in government for many years and in many capacities, I understand that employees have a substantial stake in their leadership; they’re voters, too.

But when I learned the media was invited to this debate, red flags went up. That the media would be invited to an employee focused debate closed to the public seems incongruous. What issues would be of interest to the media without the presence of the public? It doesn’t make sense and begs the question: Is the Lake County media biased to the incumbent?

Given that the Deputy Sheriff’s Association Board of Directors has already stated their support of standing Sheriff Mitchell, if I were in Deputy Rivero’s shoes, I would certainly look with suspicion on the union’s motives. The fact that Deputy Rivero has elected to attend the debate shows his courage and strength of character. That standing Sheriff Mitchell did not reciprocate when he was invited to a recent radio interview with Deputy Rivero – including unfiltered call-in opportunities from the public – well, I leave that for you to ponder.

Be that as it may, if the reporters do their jobs right, including disclosing any indications that the debate sponsored by the union is simply an ambush (as several concerned citizens have expressed to me it is), the people’s interest will at least partially be served. If they don’t, hopefully there will be other debates and opportunities for the voters to get to know what the candidates have to offer; the more daylight on the two candidates before the June primaries the better.

This will be an important decision for voters. Recent events reflect poorly on our incumbent sheriff, most notably the Bismark Dinius trial, the lack of charges filed against Captain Perdock, and the use of public funds for helicopter training. A public debate would hold standing Sheriff Mitchell accountable for his handling of these incidents and others while providing him the opportunity to explain his role and what steps he is taking to correct any wrong doing. It would also allow Deputy Rivera to explain how he would have handled the incidents, what steps he would take to prevent a possible recurrence and answer other questions of interest to the public.

In our system of government the decision as to whether standing Sheriff Mitchell stays or moves on is ours to make. The decision should be based on the best information possible and is one we should not make lightly. As the saying goes, sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don’t. That may be what Sheriff Mitchell is banking on. If so, he should not prevail.

It is in the public’s interest that standing Sheriff Mitchell and Deputy Rivero stand open to public scrutiny. Because if they don’t now, there is a strong likelihood they will not be inclined to do so if elected into office. So far, Deputy Rivero is ahead on this score because he is willing to debate even under suspicious circumstances and has already made himself accessible to the public through unfiltered call-in radio.

It remains to be seen what information Lake County voters will have to base their decisions on come Election Day. Hopefully, voters will enter the voting booth prepared to make informed decisions on this and other matters of importance to Lake County.

There is no greater country and system of government than ours and we are privileged to operate in a democracy that allows voters to hold elected officials accountable. One way – and really the only way – to do so is through the election process. We the people, has a nice ring, doesn’t it?

Olga Martin Steele lives in Clearlake Oaks.