In the race for Anne Arundel County sheriff, Democrat Ron Bateman and Republican John Moran aren?t pulling any punches when it comes to making observations about each other?s records, although both have been relatively quiet about the third candidate.
Bateman, currently the department?s chief deputy, said neither candidate is on par with him in terms of management experience.
“It?s just sad,” he said. “At some point, it?s like, please, somebody be a manager.”
Bateman worked for the Anne Arundel County police for 23 years, reaching the level of captain, before moving onto the sheriff?s office, where he has served as chief deputy for three years.
Republican candidate John Moran is a University of Maryland Baltimore County police officer who also ran for the sheriff?s office in the last election. He was beaten by the incumbent, George Johnson IV, who is now leaving the office to run for county executive.
Moran says he has plenty of management experience, pointing to the six years he spent as an infantry platoon leader in the Army National Guard in Catonsville.
“Military leadership is the best kind of leadership if you ask me,” Moran said.
Moran has publicly accused Bateman of underestimating the number of outstanding warrants in the county, and says the department is drastically underpaying its deputies ? something Bateman acknowledges and has pledged to fix if elected sheriff.
“They are underpaid and management hasn?t taken steps to do anything about it,” Moran said.
Campaign outsiders are even throwing jabs in the race ? like retired Anne Arundel County police Lt. Russell Hewitt, who supervised Moran when he was police transport officer in 1987.
“Deputy Moran was without question the most undisciplined person that I?ve ever had,” Hewitt said.
Moran says he doesn?t even remember Hewitt being his supervisor and that “I think he is getting me confused with another guy I worked with.”
“I don?t want to get caught up in the fray,” said Walter Campbell, a Severna Park resident who, like Moran, is also seeking the Republican nomination.
He sloughs off accusations that he doesn?t know how to manage people, noting that he supervised management staff and expenses while working at Verizon for 16 years.
