Letter: Former ADA supports Chojnacki for sheriff

To the Editor-

I worked for the Portage County District Attorney’s Office for 14 years. During that time, I had the benefit of working with both of the candidates for Portage County Sheriff. Based on my experiences with both, I want you to know that I am supporting Florian “Junior” Chojnacki for Sheriff.

I’d like to dispel rumors I’ve heard circulating, that Deputy Chojnacki is not a “real” deputy. Nothing could be further from the truth. Deputy Chojnacki was a road deputy for a number of years and has the experience and knowledge of what it takes to be a good road deputy. Junior has had many dealings with people in the public as a road deputy and has used his skills to evaluate cases, calm down upset individuals, make arrests prepare reports, and all the things the public normally associates with deputies.

But there are a number of other duties deputies perform that the public is not as familiar with. Junior has performed those other functions with the same skill, poise, and common sense as he performed his road duties.

Junior is, in my opinion, the better candidate for sheriff. Junior is not vindictive. He has a great ability to treat everyone the same, he is calm and I have never seen him lose his temper when dealing with the public or other officers. Junior is not about self-promotion or seeking public recognition. Junior has always let his actions speak for themselves and he is always happy to share any of his successes with the team he works with, namely the Portage County Sheriff’s Department.

Junior is well-aware of the fact that he needs to rely on those working with him and around him in order to be successful at what he does and he’s happy sharing the credit for a job well done with those other people. That is exactly the type of demeanor and mentality we need in our sheriff.

If you take the time to really get to know the candidates, their demeanors, their attitudes, and their personalities, you will agree with me that Florian Chojnacki is the man for the job of Portage County sheriff. Vote Chojnacki!

David Knaapen
Former Portage Co. Assistant District Attorney