Brett Sobieraski isn’t the better politician.
But he is the better cop.
And he deserves to win the Republican primary for Orleans County sheriff. More correctly, the good people of Orleans County deserve to have him win.
Because they deserve a sheriff’s office held to the highest standards and motivated by the highest values. And the deputies of that department deserve a sheriff who can lead andinspire them to their highest potential.
That sheriff is Brett Sobieraski.
He is a man who believes in leading from the front, and in leading from the heart. He’s first through the door, first across the finish line, and first to worry about the needsof his officers. He can out run, out fight and out shoot 99 percent of the men and women in law enforcement. And he does that not as a hard ass, but as a compassionate and encouraging leader, who loves the people he serves, the people he leads, and the people he polices.
This is a request to Republicans in Orleans County that they vote for Brett Sobieraski for sheriff.
That may go against the political grain. Brett doesn’t have any friends or coworkers on the committees. He hasn’t cozied up to the unions. He hasn’t made any deals. He’s not ayou-scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-your-back kind of guy.
But he is a man of character who can be trusted. And he will discharge the duties of sheriff with honor, integrity, competence and professionalism. The people of Orleans Countywill be assured that their tax dollars are being used wisely, that their communities are being protected professionally, and that the deputies in their service are of the highest quality and integrity.
As the region has fought the battle against drugs, it turned to Brett Sobieraski for leadership. As the region strove to train new officers to the highest professional standards,it turned to Brett Sobieraski for leadership. And when, years on end, a major metropolitan SWAT team needed rock-solid command, it turned to Brett Sobieraski for leadership.
If your family was in danger, you would want a cop like Brett Sobieraski to answer the call. If your teenager was troubled and straying, you would want a man like Brett Sobieraskito sit and talk to him. If your sheriff’s department was operating below its potential, you would Brett Sobieraski to take its helm.
What I know of Brett Sobieraski I have read in the faces and stories of the officers he has led, trained and served with for the last 20 years. They love him. They admire him.They strive to be like him. He is a legendary friend, a trusted leader, and an inspiration to all. He is not just a good guy, a pal, he is a law-enforcement leader who raises everyone’s performance by walking in the room.
Bringing his personality and ability to the Orleans County sheriff’s office will electrify the deputies and enhance law enforcement across the entire county. He fights crime allday, every day, and never lets up in the fight to protect people, track down criminals and care for victims.
Much is made of the fact that Brett Sobieraski is an endurance athlete. He swam across Lake Ontario, he ran 175 miles straight on the Erie Canal, he ran 135 miles from the bottomof Death Valley to the top of Mount Whitney in the middle of summer – and beat two-thirds of the elite athletes he was competing against.
That’s pretty good for a middle-aged man.
And it’s a pretty good insight into who that middle-aged man is.
Brett Sobieraski is someone who never quits. No matter what. He pushes on. He gets through. At no matter what toll to himself.
And he does it for the benefit of others. Not a single one of his various adventures has ever been for personal glory or benefit – they have all been to inspire and raise moneyfor others.
And all along the way, he teaches.
A hundred and twenty-five miles into his Special Olympics run along the Erie Canal, he was joined by a group of young people taking a law-enforcement class. They were awe struckand he was engaging, leading them beside him for several miles, asking about their goals and advising on how to reach them, though he had himself at that point been running non-stop for almost a day and a half. On another run, halfway to a hundred miles toraise money for the Veterans Outreach Center, three hours before dawn in a driving snow storm, he spoke to my son, giving him encouragement and acceptance, empowering him to run along at his side.
That same spirit will be part of every interaction between Sheriff Brett Sobieraski and the noble men and women who wear the uniform of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office. Hewill always be leading, teaching and loving.
He will likewise bring the same spirit of servant leadership to the people, institutions and law-enforcement agencies of Orleans County. The sheriff will be who he’s supposedto be – the county’s protector.
And you can bank on that.
Brett Sobieraski will not let you down.
Brett Sobieraski doesn’t let anybody down.
And that’s why I am asking Republicans to support him in the primary, and everyone to support him on Election Day.
Because he is not the better politician.
He is the better man.
And he is the man Orleans County needs and deserves.