St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith is a friend of mine—I won’t shy away from that fact—and I’ve supported him for many years. In the wake of recent events, it saddens me to address what we’ve watched unfold in our neighboring parish over the past week.
As a former Sheriff of Jefferson Parish, I understand the difficulties that come with the role. As a result of the office I held, I’ve been the subject of many personal attacks; so has my family. The things people say can be vile, barbaric, and enraging.
But making the choice to run for sheriff means you are making the choice to be held to a higher standard. Plain and simple. There’s no avoiding that fact.
The honor of holding that office comes with the duty to withstand those who will publicly attempt to break you, humiliate you, and have you lose your cool. You can not successfully fulfill the duties of a sheriff without emotional and psychological wherewithal.
By this point, we all know what happened. Randy Smith failed to uphold the standards demanded of his office. He failed to maintain a demeanor that was respectful to the community he was elected to protect.
And excessive alcohol consumption is not a valid excuse.
I believe that the work required to overcome an episode like this is far too great a task while remaining in public office; doing so would demand triple the labor necessary to fulfill the basic duties of an already demanding role.
So, as a friend, this is what I would say to Sheriff Smith:
You embarrassed yourself and the St. Tammany Sheriff’s Office, which employs hundreds of hardworking men and women who place their lives on the line daily to serve the community you are now accused of fracturing.
Now is the time to exercise credible leadership, which means placing the interest of the entity above that of an individual, yourself.
It will not be easily forgotten that you were held at a Northshore jail and charged with battery and disrupting the peace for assaulting a man from behind, in a public setting, while drunk, at a restaurant in your own parish. The best thing you can do to protect and uphold your community is to, with solemn earnestness, consider resignation.
