Well, here we are in the middle of November and are once again facing the end of one year and the beginning of a new one. Not only is a new year coming, but so is a new Sheriff and a new Constable, so we want to extend our congratulations to Sheriff-elect Rand Henderson and Constable-elect Phillip Cash and let them know that MCLEA looks forward to a good working relationship with both.

We had our last stated meeting of the year on November 1st,  and I want to take a bit to talk about what was discussed, what was decided, and where we would like to go from here.  First of all, I apologized to the membership for not moving things along as quickly as I would like to see happening.  We need to do our part as the elected Officers and Board, but we need your help as well.  The point of an Association is to support its members, and we fully intend to do so, but the members need to be involved too. It is disheartening to show up to the meetings and want to do what it right for your membership only to find that no one really cares until it affects them directly. To those members who are at the meetings regularly, I sincerely thank you. I appreciate your attendance, your membership, and your candor when you are asked for an opinion or a vote. To the members who do not come to the meetings, I ask that you come to one and see for yourself the dedication of the men and women who are giving up time with their families after work in order to help give you a better work environment, better pay, and a better life for your family. The Officers and Board aren't in this for any status, nor for "political" purposes. They are in a position that could put them at odds with people in power around the County, yet they are still willing to fight for what is right. Please, I implore you, come to at least one meeting and help us work for you. If our members don't get more involved, there will be nothing to fight for.

As promised, we are working on things for the betterment of our County Law Enforcement employees, but it seems that something always steps up to get in the way. That is not an excuse, just a fact. We are still working on the necessary meetings regarding the STEP pay, and on several new issues regarding our insurance and the handling of the claims. Since this is a public forum, I won't go into the details, but suffice it to say things were brought to our attention during the open forum that are spurring us into action.

We also presented several possibilities for the new MCLEA logo that were submitted by three of our members, and voted on the one logo that we felt looked the best and more closely represented County Law Enforcement as a whole.  We are working on the necessary legal releases so that we can use this logo, and once that is done, I will send it out to everyone.

In closing, I want to take a moment to say thank you to Sheriff Tommy Gage for his leadership during his tenure as Sheriff. He has been great for this Agency, and the County as a whole. His presence and personality will be missed in these halls for some time.

I also want to welcome Sheriff-Elect Rand Henderson and Constable-Elect Phillip Cash to their respective administrations. They are facing a huge undertaking, and will need the support of the men and women who serve under them.  Without them, we have no direction and without us, direction is useless.

Thank you and be safe,

Paul Hahs Sr, MCLEA President.