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Jefferson County Undersheriff Trudeau endorses Bocciolatt for sheriff using taxpayer resources [Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.](Watertown Daily Times (NY) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Oct. 30--WATERTOWN -- Jefferson County Undersheriff Paul W. Trudeau endorsed Republican John R. Bocciolatt for sheriff Thursday using taxpayer resources. Mr. Trudeau, who lost the Democratic primary to Colleen M. O'Neill in September, wrote that Mr. Bocciolatt is the "only choice" for the office. He sent out the endorsement using a county-owned fax machine. Mr. Trudeau said he had prepared the statement at home and attempted to send it to media outlets using his iPhone. Unable to do so, he used a fax machine at the Metro-Jefferson Public Safety Building. County Administrator Robert F. Hagemann III called the use of the county-owned fax machine to send out a political endorsement "clearly inappropriate." The legality of the use of the fax machine is under review by Jefferson County Attorney David J. Paulsen, but Mr. Hagemann said the action may have violated the Sheriff's Department code of conduct. Mr. Trudeau said that sending out the endorsement using the county fax machine was a mistake and that he didn't know he was potentially violating any regulations. "If it is" a violation, "I guess I'll have to apologize," Mr. Trudeau said. "But I didn't do it intentionally." "It was a very honest mistake, but a mistake nonetheless," Mr. Hagemann said. Carolyn D. Fitzpatrick, chairwoman of the Jefferson County Board of Legislature, said she was unaware that Mr. Trudeau had used county equipment to distribute the political endorsement, and referred questions to the county attorney. She said, however, "I'm sure Paul did it in a naive manner, without any bad intentions." In his endorsement, Mr. Trudeau sang Mr. Bocciolatt's praises, referring to the candidate's experience working for the Portland, Ore., Police Bureau for 28 years. "As Undersheriff and former candidate, I know first-hand what the job entails and I've had the opportunity to assess the remaining candidates closely. Retired detective sergeant John Bocciolatt has diverse experiences in supervision and management, and has a wealth of investigative and policing skills. He demonstrates the trustworthy leadership that the Sheriff's Department needs," Mr. Trudeau wrote in the statement. In September, the Times reported that Mr. Bocciolatt, a Watertown native, approached Mr. Trudeau before the primary election about possibly remaining the undersheriff if Mr. Bocciolatt were elected. "I've hinted around at that," Mr. Bocciolatt said at the time. "I think there's some other people in the sheriff's office that are interested also, and I know there are several people outside of the sheriff's office that are interested, and I want to keep those options open." ___ (c)2014 Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, N.Y.) Visit Watertown Daily Times (Watertown, N.Y.) at www.watertowndailytimes.com Distributed by MCT Information Services |