After a week of back and forth, the St. Joseph County Democrats and the campaign to elect Bill Redman for Sheriff held a press conference Monday to provide a united front for the November general election.
Bill Redman will be the fully supported democratic candidate for St. Joseph County Sheriff. That was the message from the party.
Chairman of the St. Joseph County Democrats, Jason Critchlow, says the party is united behind the choice of the voters.
“By the free will of those voters Bill Redman has earned the right to be the democratic nominee for County Sheriff. We support that right. We support the process that earned him that right. We support Bill Redman and we will be electing him as our next sheriff of St. Joseph County.”
This is after everything that happened last week. On Monday Chuck Hurley, a former South Bend Police Chief, announced he would run as an independent. Tuesday, Tim Corbett announced he was suspending the recount, then endorsed Hurley. Corbett lost to Redman in the May primary by a very small margin.
Thursday an editorial appeared in the South Bend Tribune saying Hurley’s announcement ‘smacks of old-fashioned backroom politics.’
That night the current sheriff, Mike Grzegorek held a press conference sand said he hadn’t asked Hurley to run, the Tribune had made up a ‘conspiracy theory’ and that Redman had been distracted and obstinate in his job as a sheriff’s lieutenant.
“I have nothing in my personnel file, nothing pending against me so I was sort of shocked by this,” Redman said.
Friday, Hurley announced he had gotten enough signatures to appear on the ballot but that he would not be running in part because he is quote- ‘not willing to subject myself to a smear campaign by the South Bend Tribune.’
Redman and Critchlow both said they’re ready to put the drama in the past. Redman said he will be working to earn the support of voters in St. Joe County.
