Benzie sheriff hopefuls line up

Election 2012

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David Casey
Blair Moss
Ted Schendel

April 29, 2012

Benzie sheriff hopefuls line up

BY ART BUKOWSKI abukowski@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Sun Apr 29, 2012, 07:14 AM EDT

BEULAH — Three people with long ties to Benzie County all hope to be its next top cop.

Benzie Sheriff Rory Heckman will retire this year after a four-year term. Potential sucessors so far include Ted Schendel, Blair Moss and David Casey, all Republicans. More candidates could file to run before the May 15 filing deadline.

Schendel since 2007 has served as part-time administrator of the sheriff's snowmobile and marine programs. Before that, he retired after 25 years in Florida with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. His father, O. Paul Schendel, was Benzie's prosecutor from 1978 to 1996.

Schendel said he's troubled by the county's lack of road deputy presence. Budget cuts have left only one deputy on the road for long periods, he said, and none from 3 to 6 a.m. He wants to work with the county board to boost the number of deputies in the field.

"I'm not asking for an army, I just want us to get to the same level as everyone else, without raising taxes," he said. "I think the money can be appropriated from other areas."

A lack of road deputies isn't a secret, he said, and will lead to more criminals in the area.

"They're not stupid," he said. "They're going to go to areas where their chances of getting caught are the least."

Schendel would keep department Undersheriff David Tucker.

Casey said he worked for the Benzie sheriff's department from 1999-2000 and again from 2003 to 2007. He served as a road patrol deputy, court bailiff, animal control officer, corrections officer and in other positions.

He also worked for a year as a road patrol officer in Frankfort, and for more than a decade has run a collision shop in Thompsonville.

Among other issues, he wants to fix "broken links" in communication he said exist between the various divisions of the department. He's also concerned about the low deputy load.

Casey isn't satisfied with the idea of a sheriff as a largely political figure.

"If I'm elected sheriff, myself and the undersheriff will be out working the roads," he said.

Plenty of northern Michigan sheriffs are police officers who retired from downstate or out-of-state departments, Casey said, many with pensions.

"I don't have a retirement to fall back on," Casey said. "If I don't do a good job, I'm not going to get re-elected."

Casey would name Tom Whale as undersheriff. Whale retired in 2010 after serving as a detective and deputy with the sheriff's department.

Moss is a physical education instructor and coach for Benzie Central schools. He also has spent time as a seasonal marine officer and corrections officer with the department.

"It's a time in my career that I need to step up and look at another challenge," he said. "This will be a challenge, but I'm ready for it."

The Moss family is well-known in the community.

"People know me, and I think I'm the right man for the job," he said.

He also believes he can figure out ways to get the most out of a limited sheriff's budget.

"Whoever the next sheriff is will definitely have to think outside the box," he said.

Moss said he'll name Frankfort Police Chief Keith Redder as his undersheriff.