Setting the record straight

I would like to start off by saying that this is not an attack, but to provide the truth in regards to information that is being passed along in regards to the Madera County Deputy Sheriff’s Association.

We don’t typically get involved in politics other than to show support by endorsing particular candidates that we as an association feel are the right choices to improve the County of Madera.

But we feel the need to respond as an association to false information that is unfairly being spread. It has been mentioned that our endorsement of Sally Orme Moreno for district attorney came from five guys sitting around a poker table, and referred to as a phony endorsement because it wasn’t voted on by every member in the association. It was also mentioned that our endorsement was done two months before Mr Hornick announced his candidacy.

I will say that the only part of the false narrative that is true is that we as an association did vote to endorse Sally Orme Moreno before Mr. Hornick announced his candidacy. Mr. Hornick did not approach our association to discuss his candidacy before or after his announcement to run, which is something that we value and we would have gladly discussed with him. Not that this would have changed our endorsement, but then he could have had an understanding of our procedures as an association.

As an association, we have nine board members, these board members are voted into place by the members of the Madera County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. Each of the board members represent different areas of the association with an exception of the DA investigators; however, the scheduled meetings are open to the all members of the association to attend and provide input. Hornick said that only five board members were permitted to speak on behalf of the 100 total members of the association. However the truth is that the nine board members agreed on endorsing Sally Moreno, and this was after several meetings and getting input from members of the association.

He also stated that the five guys were sitting at a poker table. Again if Hornick had taken the time to speak with us or ask anyone of the board members, he would have known that the Madera County Deputy Sheriff’s Association conducts its business in a professional manner. We have not held any meetings or made any association decisions around a poker table or in any way that would bring discredit to the association and to the members of the Madera County DSA. In fact, the board members have never sat and played any card games with each other in the more than ten years that I have been on the board.

He has decided to try and discredit the Madera County DSA and the way association business is handled, by referring to the endorsement of Sally Moreno as phony. By doing this, Hornick is attacking the system that was created and voted into place by the members of the association as well as all of the board members, past and present that have followed those by laws.

Hornick wants to discredit the Madera DSA endorsement of Sally Moreno because it suits him, and in doing so he is giving a false narrative about it. The endorsement of Sally Orme Moreno was done before he announced his candidacy, however it was done by the 10 members of the board at an executive board meeting room and with input from the men and women of the association, and it was not done by five guys sitting around a poker table. As an association we feel even stronger now that we endorsed the right person to be district attorney for the County of Madera.

— Madera County Deputy Sheriff’s Association Executive Board Members,

President – Mike Motz

Vice President — Jason Clark

Secretary — Jessica Martinez

Treasurer — Darrell Swengel

Board Member —Richard Gutierrez

Board Member — Manuel Ramirez

Board Member — Miguel Hernandez

Board Member — Eric Grijalva

Board Member — Andrew Rodriguez