New county officials take office
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POLSON — Several newly elected Lake County officials took their oaths of office Thursday in an afternoon ceremony at the Lake County Courthouse, and they say they’re eager to jump in to their new duties.
As the winner of the county’s highest-profile race this election cycle, Jay Doyle was sworn in as Lake County Sheriff, an office he assumed Jan. 1. The Republican Doyle won a hotly-contested three-way race for sheriff this fall, narrowly defeating Independent Steve Kendley by a 3 percent margin and Democrat Dan Yonkin by 12 percent of the vote. Doyle will be stepping up from his position as undersheriff, and said he was looking forward to meeting with his entire staff — about 65 people — on his first Monday on the job.
“Each person has been asked to bring two ideas on some positive changes they’d like to see,” he said. “There’ve been some good proposals already.”
Improving and keeping good communication within the Sheriff’s Office is a top priority for Doyle, and is the direct approach he’ll take to get all personnel on the same page, he explained.
“The biggest challenge is going to be getting the entire Sheriff’s Office to work as a team again,” Doyle said, noting that the heated race for sheriff was divisive — all three candidates were and are still employed by the Office. “That’s imperative that we do that.
“I need to listen to (the staff’s) ideas and try to implement some of their ideas … The sheriff and undersheriff don’t know everything, and we need to rely on our personnel to help us, because we’re not doing their job every day, and we need to listen to them.”
Communication with the public is just as important as within the Office, Doyle added, and “that is going to happen a lot more.”
He already has plans to meet with several local civic groups and discuss citizens’ ideas and needs, and said he wants the public to know he’ll always have an open-door policy.
“(Talking with citizens is) the only way we can figure out how we can better serve them,” Doyle said.
Lake County Commissioner Ann Brower, who’s also new to her position, said hearing and responding to the public’s concerns is her top concern.
“The doors are open; the phone lines are there, and we want to hear from the public. It’s the only way to know their needs,” Brower said.
Brower said she foresees a “vast array” of challenges ahead, beginning with interviews of candidates for retired Sen. John Brueggeman’s Senate District 6 seat, which began Monday morning.
“I get to jump straight in … I’m very eager to tackle the challenges,” she said.
Also sworn in to continue in their offices were Lake County Attorney Mitchell Young; Lake County Clerk and Recorder Paula Holle; Justice of the Peace Chuck Wall; Lake County Superintendent of Schools Gale Decker; and Lake County Treasurer Patti Duford Kugler.
