Still deciding how to vote? Here are Larimer County sheriff election endorsements

With Colorado's primary election coming up Tuesday, June 28, we asked our Coloradoan Conversations community to weigh in on Larimer County's only contested race, and it's one that will determine the final outcome: Larimer County sheriff.

Twenty-five people weighed in at Coloradoan.com: 21 of them endorsed a single candidate, while three said they endorsed neither candidate. We'll get to the final one later.

All of the endorsements were for John Feyen, an assistant chief with Fort Collins Police Services who also served for years at the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.

There were no endorsements for Jeff Fisher, deputy chief at the Louisville Police Department who also has experience as an officer in LaSalle, Evans and Loveland.

(In full transparency, the Coloradoan did not notify candidates that we would be asking for endorsements. That's because we wanted to see more organic responses, less orchestrated by campaign machines.)

In any endorsement, there are some words that get used a lot, and this time was no exception. These attributes were linked to Feyen by those who endorsed him:

• Integrity

• Honesty

• Character

• Dedication

• Professionalism

• Experience

• Dignity

• Honor

• Vision

• Wisdom

• Hard worker

• Fair

• Qualified

• Leader

• Servant

• Moral

• Ethical

• Thoughtful

• Trusted

• Caring

• Compassionate

Two of Stephen P.'s reasons for supporting Feyen were echoed by others: "He has experience in both the sheriff's office and the police force," and "the police officers and people in the sheriff's office overwhelmingly support John — it matters to me what the people who have their 'boots on the ground' think."

More than one person mentioned a spirit of open-mindedness.

"He is a true diplomat who listens and understands all sides of an issue." — Donna J.

"He's not a politician making grandiose political promises or spouting oversimplified rhetoric. For years, he's built partnerships with organizations in our community trying to find solutions to complex issues like mental health, homelessness and drug abuse. Even if he disagrees with your perspective, he's always willing to have a conversation. This is so important when it comes to dealing with challenging or controversial issues." — Kate K.

Tim K. dug deeper into relationships: "I strongly believe that everything going well in any police agency goes well because of relationships. I also believe that everything not going well in a police agency is suffering because of relationships. John fully understands this and he knows the value of relationships. He also knows how to build and foster relationships. While so many forces are trying to push a wedge between law enforcement and the communities we serve, there has never been a more critical time for the chief executive of the premier law enforcement agency in our community to be beyond reproach."

"He doesn’t speak in rhetoric or party talking points. Sure, the office is political but the sheriff doesn’t need to be a political figurehead and just spout off what he thinks you want to hear just to get elected. I for one have had enough of empty talk by those that want the power of an elected office to further their ego and not focus on or actually serve as a public servant as law enforcement should be."  — Aaron H.

"He will protect our rights but he will do it in a wise and knowledgeable way and not with fists flying and a loud mouth." — Julie S.

Many of the supporters said they had known and worked with Feyen for years, some in a law enforcement capacity.

Dawn D.'s comments are representative of many of the views offered. Here's a sampling of them:

• "He has experience at the Larimer (County) Sheriff's Office leading the way through wildfires, floods, things that only someone who has been at the sheriff's office in our community would know firsthand."

• "He took over as the interim chief of Berthoud after their police department disbanded and the sheriff's office took over as the town law enforcement agency. He didn't run from the challenge, he faced it head on in a thoughtful manner and turned the corrupt department into one the community can now trust."

• "He has experience working through the ranks at LCSO, and currently is an assistant chief at FCPS. He has a wide variety of skills and background to make thoughtful changes to protect and serve our community."

• "He has served as president of Windsor Charter Academy School board for many years. He cares about school and student safety and makes it a priority."

• "He is one of the most humble, trustworthy, kindhearted, genuinely good people that I have ever met."

Others expressed concerns about both candidates.

Jenn D said: "I'm deeply troubled by both candidates' views on public school safety."

Debra F. took issue with both candidates' views on red flag laws. "Both candidates stated they weren’t in favor of red flag laws. Mr. Fisher said outright he wouldn’t enforce red flag orders. Law enforcement is just that … they cannot pick and choose which laws to enforce based on personal opinion. If these gentlemen don’t agree with the existing laws, perhaps they should consider running for a representative seat where they can change the laws instead."

Addressing the fact that there is no Democrat running for office, Don M. pointed out that Democrats will not have an opportunity to weigh in on the choice between two final candidates. "I do not mind that the only two candidates are from the same party (and they very well may be the best two candidates, but that is a different story). ... In this case, the two candidates should both be on the final ballot."

Local gun laws?

In our second question last week, we asked: What is Fort Collins City Council's role in the national gun control debate? This question was prompted by local residents and groups pressing Fort Collins City Council to take action and council considering a potential gun buyback program in response.

There was support and opposition to council taking action, though many didn't offer specific ideas. These responses summarize the conversation or offer actionable ideas.

"I would like to see City Council explore mandating liability insurance be carried by gun owners in the city," Jennifer B. said.

"Only role should be oversight to assure Fort Collins Police Services is appropriately enforcing Colorado laws already on the books such as red flag law," John W. and Judi T. wrote.

"Council has its hands full with homelessness, mental health issues, and budget discipline. Virtue signaling with ineffective gun laws that will increase division and alienate even more of the community hardly seems like a good use of their time," Robert D. said.

Joe W. says: "Gun control is best handled at the state and federal levels. A hodgepodge of local ordinances and regulations is confusing to responsible gun owners and unlikely to produce the desired result, as those who want to purchase firearms legally can simply buy them out of town. Those with criminal intent are unlikely to respond to 'buy-back' programs or to obey local gun regulations."

Rebecca Powell is a content strategist at the Coloradoan, working to connect our community with the answers they seek. Contact her at RebeccaPowell@coloradoan.com. The Coloradoan can't do the important work of keeping our community informed without you. Support us by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Larimer County sheriff election endorsements for 2022