Boone re-elected as Florence County sheriff
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Boone wins
Boone wins
Incumbent Republican Sheriff Kenney Boone will continue serving Florence County after he raked in more than 23,000 votes Tuesday and defeated democratic opponent Jimmy Gregg.
Boone recorded 23,640 votes to Gregg’s 17,361 at press time Tuesday.
OUR ELECTION COVERAGE
Coverage from the Morning News and WBTW News13, The Weekly Observer and the Star & Enterprise:
- Election by the numbers
- Horry voters say ‘yes’ to the penny
- Horry County election update
- Boone re-elected as Florence County sheriff
- Fowler to keep Florence County treasurer’s seat
- Incumbents lead S.C. House 60, 63 races
- Voters OK Sunday alcohol sales in Florence, deny them in Lake City
- Williams-Blake, Willis lead Florence city council races
- Wukela wins Florence mayoral race
- Williamsburg opens floodgates for Obama
- Mullins, Nichols get new mayors
- Hulon wins Dillon County sheriff’s post
- Marlboro County passes school bond referendum
OUR STORIES IN PICTURES
See our stories in pictures from the Morning News, WBTW News13 and scnow.com photographers:
- Slide Show: Wukela Celebrates at Michael’s on the Loop
- Slide Show: Florence Mayoral candidate Rocky Pearce on election night
- Slide Show: The Florence County Sheriff’s race
- Slide Show: Election in the Pee Dee
- Slide Show: Election day on the Grand Strand
OTHERS’ STORIES
Read coverage from around the area:
- Myrtle Beach Online: Incumbents leading in Horry County Council races
- Myrtle Beach Online: Rankin to hold onto state senate seat
- From Georgetown Times: Charlton, Johnson, Beard win county council
- From the Star News: Republicans sweep Brunswick school board seats
STATE & NATION
- Obama makes history; turns to sobering challenges
- McCain concedes, acknowledges historic achievement
- Democratic majorities stronger, tougher
- Brown re-elected to US House from SC 1st District
Local political analysts expected the race to be close because of each candidate’s popularity and the number of loyal supporters each had.
Boone announced he intended to run for re-election last fall, shortly after going public with his decision to switch political parties.
Boone announced he was switching to the Republican Party during an Oct. 24, 2007, speech on the steps of the Drs. Bruce & Lee Foundation Library in Florence.
Boone said as a Republican, he joined other Republican elected officials in Florence and in the Palmetto State who believe in being aggressive in crime prevention.
Boone said he’s proud of his deputies and the work he and his staff have done during the past four years and he hopes to continue moving in a positive direction.
Gregg, who endorsed Boone after he retired from the office four years ago, said he decided to run against Boone because things were moving in a negative direction.
Gregg had been sheriff for 12 years before giving up the post.
Gregg announced he would run against Boone in November 2007 — a full year before elections were held for the position.
“I honestly think that Kenney’s a good guy and I think his heart is in and it’s where it needs to be,” Gregg said before the election. “I think he knows what he wants to do but I don’t think he’s laying the proper foundation.”
Boone said he plans to spend his next term in office concentrating on preventing youths from becoming involved in illegal activity.
“We want to continue with what we’ve done. I feel like (we need to expand on) some of our summer programs with our children,” he said. “Any given summer, we might contact maybe three or four hundred kids. But in Florence School District 1 alone, they unleash 16,000 kids. We need to try to reach more kids. That’s very much a passion for me.”
Boone joined the Florence County Sheriff’s Office in 1987.
He graduated from Florence-Darlington Technical College after earning an associate degree in criminal justice.
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Reader Reactions
Citizen4U
1. The FCSO is currently NOT a team when some staff members lie about others to get them in trouble (and ultimately fired)
2. Unless you are psychic You have NO IDEA why any deputy voted the way he did - so stop speaking for them and saying they were gambling for a promotion. How dare you assume to know their intentions.
3. You have NO IDEA what others might do as Sheriff - because MrsFLorence mirrors my sentiments - had I been in Kenney’s shoes I would have addressed any unhappy deputy individually to find out the problem. Most effective leaders do that in the real world. Leaders who fire or kill their opposition are usually called things like paranoid, dictators or tyrants.
4. I think most deputies probably WISH Kenney had been the one to actually fire them. But Kenney himself did not. He sent a squad of others in to do his bidding for him. And many of them apparently could not look their friends in the eyes as they did it.
MrsFlorence, How can you sit there and say you honestly think Jimmy would have made a good Sheriff after all of the corruption he let happen in lake city that he knew was taking place because it was brought to his attention and he told the officers to look away, this behavior alone shows he was crooked himself… Secondly Jimmy would fire your A$$ after an election if he even saw you associating yourself with someone he knew voted against him… The sheriffs office is a TEAM of officers and they know they work at the pleasure of the sheriff. Everyone is told this when they are hired. I do not blame the Sheriff for letting anyone go that supported the opposition. That means they felt as though someone could have done that job better and there is no way Jimmy was a better Sheriff than Kenney. The officers that got let go saw this election as a promotion if jimmy got back in office and they gambled with their jobs and lost. Dont blame the Sheriff because if you were in his shoes you would have done the same thing. At lease Kenney did fire them after the election. If i were Sheriff i would have fired them the same day i found out they were voting against me. This county needed Sheriff Boone to stay in office and the people of this great county decided to re-elect him and thank god they did or else we would have been taken over by little gang bangers that jimmy would have protected.
First of all I have to say that having worked at FCSO I know that every year there is an election someone IS going to get fire because of who he or she voted for. This happens regardless of who is the sheriff. It’s not fair. FCSO just lost a handful of very good investigators. Some of who has helped me out with problems in the past and to those I am greatful and thank you for being there for me.
People are saying that everyone should just get over it because the election is over. Yes, we might as well move on because the county has spoken and chose their sheriff. Either person would have made a good sheriff because they both believe in bettering the entire county. Also please know that some law enforcement officers and officials are just as crooked as the criminals out on the streets and the ones that lost there job over this stupid election were not those types of officers. Kenny does not realize how bad the investigations department is going to be hurt now that these investigators are gone. Some of them have dedicated their entire career to the FCSO ONLY! Regardless of who they voted for they were proud to be a part of the FCSO and proved that everyday.
I won’t call out the names of the ones that got fired, they know who they are and if you are not them you have NO RIGHT to put their names out there. But those of you that lost your jobs because you voted for the person you considered to be the best person for the job, I support you, honor you, and stand by whatever decisions you make in the future. I know 2 of them I would like to see run for office one day, you would have my vote and my support to get the word out.
Just because Kenny is a pretty face on TV does not make him a great sheriff, if you could only see the number of cases that have gone unsolved since he became sheriff you would know that he is just as good as Jimmy was as a sheriff. With all politicans make promises that they never intend to come through with but when you promise the person that FINANCED your first campaign that you would do something and then go behind his back and do the opposite, what does that say about that person??
For those of you that do not believe that people get fired because of who they vote for, let me tell you…You are sadly mistaken, I KNOW I WAS THERE and I was told who I better vote for if I wanted to keep my job!
In my opinion (and yes I am entitled to my opinion just like everyone else), when Kenny found out that he has employees that were not supporting him, he should have taken it up with those employees to find out what they do not like about how he runs the office and to see if they could come to a common ground. Instead, he let them continue to work there until the day after the election and then fired them. The sheriff is a politican, not a private business owner, and he should have been trying to see what the problem was within his department first. Yes I agree that you need employees that support you BUT the COUNTY as a whole needs employees that are going to support the COUNTY not kiss the sheriff’s butt.
TO the person that came on here and said for “Mr. Hanna” to find a job! That was wrong and irresponsible of you. If you are an employee of the FCSO you should be fired for your ignorance, while I may know who you are and may even have been friends with you, I still feel it was ignorant and childish of you to make that comment.
The election is OVER and we stuck with Kenny as our sheriff for another 4 years and for those of US out there that want to see a change and see a new Sheriff we should all do everything we can to support the next person that runs against him. See me for a list of great candidates, since I know most of them pretty well.
I am sorry but I have to make a comment….Is this all you people in Florence have to do is sit around and fuss back and fourth with each other. I read some of the comments and most of you all have good points but my thing is this. THE ELECTION IS OVER LET IT GO!!! SO WHAT IF THE SHERIFF FIRED SOME GOOD PEOPLE OR BAD PEOPLE THAT MEANS SOMEBODY ELSE IS GETTING A GOOD OR BAD DEPUTY!!! SO JUST LET IT GO!!! HOW ABOUT GET ON YOUR KNEES AND PRAY FOR YOUR LEADERS FOR YOUR COUNTY AND CITY AND MAYBE THINGS WILL WORK OUT. IF NOT GUESS WHAT IN 4 YEARS THERE WILL BE ANOTHER ELECTION. ALSO PRAY FOR YOU COUNTRY’S LEADERS. AND HOW ABOUT TRY GOING TO CHURCH. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!!!
About the sour grapes, think u have left more comments than most of us. The only point I’m trying to make.{never been in trouble my hole life} is somebody can lie and get a warrant signed on u and u home watching TV, you going to jail for watching TV. You the one that got to prove you innocent when you was home watching TV. what you going to do when they come to your house and lock you up on a false report? You going to jail.Enough said , because some people don’t understand the system. I’m out of here cause some people think they know everything and know nothing. Like sour grapes said need to close this thread.
When I saw and read the postings to this article on Wednesday afternoon, I decided to speak out and post because I was outraged at the treatment of several deputies in the comments on this site. The FCSO is probably no different than many other organizations in that there is infighting, ladder climbing, brown nosing and general office politics that make it pretty cutthroat. I don’t think any posting or reporting is going to change that very much, and I really did not expect my comments to make much difference. I really just made my comments so that I could put my head on my pillow at night and know that I spoke out against ignorant, unprofessional people who have no evidence to slam people that I know are good at their jobs and who have served Florence County taxpayers extremely well. To “Not Stupid” - who called a deputy’s name but was too chicken to tell his own - change yours to something more reflective of the ignorant sycophant that you are. (Use Websters to look that word up.) To “Citizen4U” - at 6:34am you told a deputy to pack his bags and look for a job at Sonic. At 9:13am you admitted he was a good investigator and would be missed. Which is it? Sounds like your koolaid must have run out when you made that 9:13am statement. I think you know the truth about both of those men, and I hope you have to look Burt in the eye really soon and explain yourself. To “Savannah” - the last time I checked, the “hand that feeds the deputies AND the sheriff” is mine - and yours - the taxpayers. These deputies work for the PEOPLE of Florence county and they are directed by the Sheriff. If they are serving me well, I don’t care who they vote for. And finally, to “Transplant” - how you have the nerve to state like it is fact that the people who were dismissed had “other” issues besides their “loyalty” just blows me away. Were you in their firing meeting? Did you see the exit papers? I hate to break it to you, but at least one deputy was not given a performance related reason and he was definitely not given a choice. He was driven home by someone he thought was his friend and told he could come back tomorrow to clean out his car. Again, I am speaking out because I think it is sad that paranoia has driven a department to slander men who have served the people of Florence county well because somehow their actions were portrayed as disloyal to Sheriff Boone. Not all of these men and women are guilty of what they are being accused of. I consider the Sheriff my friend and I support his efforts to serve this county 100%. And for what it is worth, I have a spine and the courage of my convictions, so I called Kenney today and told him personally that I support him but that I disagreed with the firing of one man I know wanted to serve him and the people of Florence County. I hope the rest of you will stop bashing these deputies. But if you don’t - be man or woman enough to call the deputies yourself and tell them to their faces.
I think this thread has run its course, the wackos and “sour grapes” have taken over!!!
So let me get this straight. Boone and all of the 300+ people at the FCSO conspired with the Solicitor’s Office and the judge to get you and all of them managed to keep it a secret from the public? They could not keep it quiet for 5 hours as to who just got fired! I will tell you like I have told everyone else with so-called proof. If you have proof of a crime being committed then come forward, otherwise you are the one who is committing a crime. As far as me having documentation, I have not said anything on here that needs documenting. Go read my posts!! As far as your comments about the mayor, what does that have to do with the Sheriff? Last time I checked, the City was in the County, not the other way around.
Truthinmedia, until you seen what I’ve seen, I would’nt put other people down. I can back up everything I’m saying with documents, can you? .Thats the type of sheriff department we have. Might get locked up, because one thing I found out, if they want you they can get you. You have no rights under Boone outfit. So until you get caught up in something that you had nothing to do with, I would kind of tune it down a little.I know what I’m talking about.This is suppose to be freedom of speech country but not under Boone directions. Maybe the new mayor can see thru it and do something about it. They will cover up their mistakes.
I know for a fact that one firing after the 2004 election was blatant cronyism. The individual in question was not particularly high ranking, never caused trouble, and worked without incident at the FCSO for nearly a decade. She began to hear rumors that she was not supporting Mr. Boone enough two months prior to the election. Although she is apolitical, she started to attend Boone events, but I guess it was too late. Shortly after the election she was fired without cause (she no longer pleased the Sheriff) and replaced by an avid supporter of Mr. Boone with little experience. The worst part is that this individual(who wants to remain anonymous) actually voted for Mr. Boone in 2004. Maybe the people being fired now are bad employees, but my instincts and past experience lead me to believe otherwise.
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