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Letter: Former Orange County sheriff endorses Donald Smith for Augusta County sheriff

Chris Graham

Print Color Uniform with Hat- Donald Smith-3438Having spent 32 years in law enforcement, as a trooper and special agent with the Virginia State Police and as the sheriff of Orange County, I feel humbly qualified to give both a law enforcement and political perspective regarding the Augusta County sheriff’s election.

I ran for office as an independent because I wanted to be a sheriff for all of the people. I ran because of an entrenched good ol’ boy system. I ran because I wanted to bring about positive changes within the sheriff’s office. I ran because I wanted to serve the people. That is what law enforcement is supposed to be all about: service. And, in order to do that, you must have a servant’s heart. It cannot be about politics. It cannot be about paybacks. It cannot be about preferential treatment. It cannot be about one’s own ego. True service is a heart thing. And the person I support has the heart thing. For him, it’s all about the people. It’s all about serving them. And it’s all about making positive changes within the sheriff’s office in order to better serve the people. That person is Donald Smith. God bless him.

– Letter from William D. Spence/Stuarts Draft

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].