TO THE EDITOR:
It is with great personal pride that I publicly thank Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass for his 32 years of outstanding service and dedication to all the citizens of Orange County. A hallmark of Sheriff Pendergrass was and still is his earnest desire to promote diversity within the department and a direct beneficiary of that was a humble African American Hillsborough youth named Larry Faucette who graduated from Orange High School and soon thereafter embarked on a career in Law enforcement.
Through hard work and his own dedication, Faucette over a period of 30 years rose through the ranks from Deputy to Captain and retired in 2009 before returning as a part-time school resource officer in the fall of 2010.
Larry has decided to seek the office of Sheriff of Orange County on a pledge to the Citizens that he will be a strong advocate for “accountability, diversity and fairness.” He is the only candidate from the very onset of the campaign to say that he will be strongly focused on all the youth of Orange County and both school systems to promote positive intervention programs that challenge the “School to Prison” perception and steer our young people down positive paths to responsible citizenship.
Larry Faucette is truly committed to being “A Sheriff for All the People” of Orange County and has clearly shown this.
I wholeheartedly endorse the candidacy of Larry Faucette to become the next Sheriff of Orange County. Please vote for Larry Faucette for Orange County Sheriff on May 6, 2014 (early voting starts on April 24).
Stephen H. Halkiotis
Orange County Board of Education
