The Asheville Blade’s guide to the primary that will shape who’s the county’s top law enforcement officer in a time where local policing’s under increasing scrutiny
Buncombe County Sheriff is a key position, one of the most powerful on the ballot. Elected, rather than appointed, the sheriff has considerable latitude over enforcing the law, which crimes to prioritize and dealing with the county jail and evictions for the whole area, including Asheville.
American policing, of course, has massive issues as an institution, and those are increasingly a topic of public pressure and debate around the country, with the local sheriff’s election no exception. The office also comes with its own history that plays a key role in this election.
Notoriously, in the late ’90s and early 2000s former Sheriff Bobby Medford ran the office as his personal corrupt fiefdom, racking up a record of taking payoffs from illegal gambling operations, threatening protesters and covering up domestic violence allegations against his son. After voters finally ousted him in 2006, authorities closed in and those rackets landed him a 15-year federal prison sentence.
Van Duncan, who took over from Medford, shed the blatant corruption of his predecessor and became one of the more popular local elected Democrats over his 12-year tenure. He introduced multiple internal reforms, body cameras, played a key part of an overhaul in the way local governments address domestic violence and claimed to fire or reprimand deputies quickly for misconduct.
But while clearly in very different territory from the days of Medford’s malfeasance, Duncan’s sheriff’s office has also attracted its share of criticism, especially in recent years. Some Latinx activists have asserted their community still faces arbitrary stops and harassment from some deputies. Duncan himself sharply denounced plans by three Buncombe County commissioners to push for increased transparency from local law enforcement.
That last item is important, because those proposals emerged from the public backlash over the police brutality against Johnnie Rush. While that attack involved APD officers — not sheriff’s deputies — its impact on the local debate about the future law enforcement is inescapable.
With Democrats the most powerful political party in Buncombe County, that primary’s drawn five candidates in a closely contested race. The winner will face Republican candidate Shad Higgins and Libertarian candidate Tracey DeBruhl in November. All of the primary candidates have a history in law enforcement, and many have dealt with controversies of their own.
Asheville Police Department Sergeant Quentin Miller’s campaign has touted him as a progressive reformer who would deal more seriously with equity (he would also be the county’s first black sheriff). But Miller’s also publicly defended embattled APD Chief Tammy Hooper despite repeated problems with her record on issues of racial justice and transparency.
R. Daryl Fisher is a former APD Captain who’s also tried to claim the role as a progressive in the Sheriff’s office, criticizing ICE raids and calling for stricter gun control. Full disclosure: I participated in a 2010 ridealong with Fisher during my time as a reporter at the Mountain Xpress. At the time, his conduct during those events received range of reactions from readers, including criticism from some for the way APD officers treated public housing residents.
Randy Smart is Duncan’s picked successor, a 24-year veteran of the department who claims he’ll continue the retiring sheriff’s legacy with an incorruptible department with fair service. But he’s also faced accusations of misogyny and gender discrimination from a former employee.
Rondell Lance, a former APD officer, is also the head of the local Fraternal Order of Police. In that latter role, he’s perhaps best known to Ashevillians for loudly denouncing civil rights and open government activists who’ve criticized the police department. He’s also faced accusations from some locals that he harassed anti-Trump protesters at a campaign rally in September 2016.
Chris Winslow is a retired sheriff’s detective with experience elsewhere in WNC as an undercover narcotics officer.
The candidates have squared off in multiple forums (here’s one from the Asheville Citizen-Times and Blue Ridge Public Radio). On this Tuesday, May 8, primary voters will make their decision in this and the key District Attorney’s race. You can find your polling place here.
The Blade‘s questionnaire asked about issues including the ICE raids, the opioid epidemic, traffic stop reforms to counter racial disparities, the threat of right-wing extremists and more. Fisher and Miller were the only candidates to respond.
Rondell Lance
Randy Smart
Chris Winslow
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