A business owner or a Benton police lieutenant will take the helm of the Saline County sheriff's office come January.
Voters will decide Tuesday whether to name Democrat Rodney Goshien Sr., 61, or Republican Rodney Wright, 43, as the county's next sheriff. Goshien owns R&R Roofing near Mabelvale, and Wright heads Benton Police Department's criminal investigation division and its SWAT team.
The winner of the race will replace interim Sheriff Cleve Barfield, who was appointed by the Saline County Quorum Court to begin the cleanup after criminal investigations into former Sheriff Bruce Pennington's administration.
Wright edged out six other Republican candidates running for the two-year position in the May primary and in the June runoff elections, while Goshien was the only Democrat going for the county's top law enforcement spot. The position pays $79,831 annually.
The county has gone through many difficult situations as of late, and the sheriff's office has a bad image, Wright said.
"I want our county to grow in a positive direction," he said. "I hope that my resume will help that with the sheriff's office. Everything else with the county seems to be moving in a positive -- the city of Benton, the city of Bryant. [Residents] want good schools, good protection and good health care. I've got to do my part on the law enforcement side."
Goshien said he was "sick" of seeing law enforcement officers "breaking the law and covering for each other."
"I hope to bring honesty and accountability back," he said in an email. "We must all hold one another accountable for our actions. You cannot break the rules and arrest others for the same [thing]. Everyone should be held to the same standard."
The candidates have both said they hope to restore the public's trust in the sheriff's office, which faced public scrutiny after Pennington was convicted of public intoxication and resisting arrest -- two misdemeanors -- and teetered about resigning from the post.
The office had another setback when state auditors found that the office used designated funds inappropriately and failed to account for thousands of dollars during Pennington's tenure.
On May 17, nearly a month after the audit was released, Pennington and two other sheriff's office employees -- Jo Nell Mallory, a former chief deputy of finance; and Mike Frost, a former lieutenant over the criminal investigations division -- were charged with multiple felonies. Those cases are still pending in circuit court.
If elected, Wright said the restoration of trust will come first.
"We've got to make sure we police ourselves before we police the public," he said, adding that he would conduct extensive background checks for new employees and enforce random drug testing.
"The drugs and the crime will be an everyday thing [to combat]," Wright said. "But if we don't have the trust and cooperation, it's an uphill battle and we're not going to win."
Goshien said deputies must show respect to the public at all times.
"A badge does not give you the right to disrespect or abuse people," he said. "And this county is famous for that."
Wright and his wife, Kayce, have two children. He earned an associate degree in electronics and graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico. He has spent 20 years with the Benton Police Department.
Goshien and his wife, Carolyn, have five children. He started his roofing company more than 30 years ago and worked a full-time job at night until the business could sustain itself, he said. While Goshien does not have a law enforcement background, he said he has been studying for the position and plans to continue to learn whatever is necessary.
Neither of the candidates have experience running a jail, but both say they would learn.
Wright has begun visiting other county jails that he says are successful and have a good program. If elected, he said, he would continue to do so in November and December but will also meet with Barfield to evaluate Saline County's system.
"There's no sense in trying to reinvent the wheel down here when we've got some good agencies within the state who are doing it right," he said.
Goshien said he would work with bail bond companies in keeping the jail population down. He also plans to address abuse in jails to reduce lawsuits against the sheriff's office, he said.
"The jail is not a hotel, but you can house prisoners without abuse," he said. "I plan to do this on the budget in place now."
Metro on 11/01/2014