Westmoreland sheriff candidates view the office very differently

Candidates for Westmoreland County sheriff have clearly different views of the office.

Two-term Republican incumbent Jonathan Held says his seven-year stewardship of the office has resulted in professionalism and cost savings. The more than a dozen lawsuits filed against him and his administrative team by current and former staffers and a pending criminal case alleging public corruption he chalked up to political vendettas.

Democratic challenger James Albert said he sees the sheriff’s department as an embarrassing and mismanaged office that requires new leadership.

“His decision making is horrendous,” Albert said of Held.

Albert, 69, of New Alexandria, is a retired Greensburg district justice who previously worked as a city police officer, a county detective and a deputy sheriff. He said he chose to come out of retirement fix what he said is a broken sheriff’s office.

“It’s an embarrassment and it starts at the top. We’ve had an elected sheriff with no law enforcement background and no management experience and you can see the result,” Albert said.

The sheriff’s department is responsible for courtroom security, the transfer of prisoners, warrant service and the sale of foreclosed upon property. It employs about 70 full- and part-time deputies.

Held, 45, of Hempfield, a former constable, was elected sheriff in 2011 and re-elected in 2015. His tenure has been marred by lawsuits that included allegations of age, racial and gender discrimination, most of which have been settled for more than $500,000 in payouts and legal fees.

“Have there been problems? Every organization has problems, sure,” Held said.

He has denied the allegations in every lawsuit filed against his office and said county commissioners opted to settle the cases over his objections as he wanted the legal cases fought in court.

Held is awaiting a decision from a state appeals court as to whether he can be retried on criminal charges that allege public corruption. A county jury in December failed to reach a verdict on conflict of interest and theft counts in connection with allegations that he directed on-duty sheriff’s department employees to perform chores for his 2015 campaign.

State prosecutors said they will retry Held, but his defense attorney contends the case should be dismissed on double jeopardy grounds.

“These are all just political talking points, but I am innocent of all charges and that will be proven,” Held said.

He blamed his staff for many of the department’s problems.

“Like a head coach in football, the head coach in the sheriff’s office has all the power but none of the control. You can hire deputies, you can train people to do the right thing but, once they get out on the road, they are on their own,” Held said.

In the spring Republican primary, Held defeated two sheriff deputies and a retired Greensburg police officer to win the GOP nomination. Albert was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

So far, the sheriff’s general election campaign has been a low-budget affair. According to campaign finance reports filed last week, Held’s re-election committee raised $570 since June and listed less than $350 in expenses. During the same time, Albert’s campaign raised more than $19,300 and so far spent $14,200.

Held said when he speaks to voters, he touts his fiscal oversight of the sheriff’s office, which he said has been under budget for seven consecutive years, saving taxpayers more than $3 million.

Albert contends Held’s evaluation of the office is faulty. He said overtime payments to staff surged under Held, causing the sheriff’s department to spend above its budget. He criticized the incumbent for hiring deputies and administrative staff who were arrested and charged with crimes. Albert also said Held’s leadership resulted in poor relationships with other county departments.

“There’s a lot of good personnel there, a lot of good deputies. They just need good leadership,” Albert said.