UPDATE: A Trump-backing sheriff fired his lesbian deputy. So she ran for his job and crushed him.

A photograph of Charmaine McGuffey.

McGuffeyforSheriff.com

Cincinnati’s Hamilton County may be about to elect their first openly gay sheriff — a former deputy who was fired by the current sheriff.

Charmaine McGuffey has the kind of storied career in law enforcement you’d hope for in a candidate. She also has the honor of having been fired for being a lesbian, and one who tried to get Hamilton’s current sheriff to act on systemic misconduct against women.

“The current sheriff and I got into a pretty serious disagreement about the practice of him not holding officers accountable for use of force and harassment of women, female officers, and female inmates,” McGuffey told LGBTQ Nation.

Charmaine McGuffey has already won the Democratic nomination for county sheriff, crushing her old boss with 70% of the primary vote. It didn’t help her opponent’s chances to lose the endorsement of his own party for his attitudes on racial disparities, not to mention moves like appearing in uniform on stage with then-candidate Donald Trump in 2016.

Meet Charmaine McGuffey

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Time well spent

a collection of clocks

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Charmaine McGuffey knows how to put time waiting to good use. After being fired, she took her time away to put together an election platform, based on criminal justice reform.

In her own words…

In this live stream interview, McGuffey discusses her career and answers questions from voters.

Show of support

A Trump-backing sheriff fired his lesbian deputy. So she ran for his job and just crushed him

Screenshot / Twitter

Voters seem more than ready for the “first female LGBTQ+ sheriff in her state.” In fact, voters seem much more interested in McGuffey’s stance on the issues.

McGuffey’s opponent

Between now and November 3, voters will choose between Charmaine McGuffey and Republican Police Lieutenant Bruce Hoffbauer. Hoffbauer has an uphill battle: as the Cincinnati Herald reported, “he’s trying to become the first person in the United States in half a century to be elected sheriff after having been found guilty of using excessive force to kill an unarmed Black man.”

Criminal justice reform

Photo showing a jail cell

Pixabay

Her opponent and the current sheriff (the one who fired McGuffey) both want to build another jail, but Charmaine McGuffey disagrees. “The solution to the problem of mass incarceration is certainly not more mass incarceration.”

McGuffey spent four years improving jail compliance with state standards in her former role as Major in Command of jail and court services. So she speaks from an area of expertise.

‘Zero tolerance for excessive use of force’

Person being handcuffed

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In June, “McGuffey said if she is elected she will establish an independent citizen review board for complaints against officers,” Cincinnati.com reported. She will pursue, “stricter discipline for those who use excessive force” as well as “better training on de-escalation, diversity and inclusion.”

McGuffey added, “Under my leadership, officers will be held accountable when there are violations of policy. We will have zero tolerance for excessive use of force.”

Parting thought…

Disclaimer: This sponsored article was produced and distributed in partnership with Story Network Foundation. It is an update of an earlier post.

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