Candidate drops out of Scott County sheriff race

BENTON, Mo. -- One of three candidates for Scott County sheriff has pulled out of the race.

In May, Ron Merideth withdrew his name as a candidate in the August primary election, after the U.S. Office of Special Counsel said he could either quit his job or leave the race, he said.

"I had to drop out. My job is federally funded, and as a federally funded employee you cannot run in a partisan election," Merideth said.

Merideth is a narcotics officer on the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force. He has spent 23 years in law enforcement.

About 80 percent of the funding for the task force comes from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Formula Grant, according to task force director Sgt. Mark McClendon. He said the task force budget in July 2011 was $223,000 and that state and local agencies provide a 25 percent match for grants.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance awards grants for use by states and units of local government to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, with emphasis on violent crime and serious offenders, according to the agency's website.

Merideth and Paul Johnson filed as Democrats to run against incumbent Sheriff Rick Walter in the election. The winner of the primary will not face a challenger in November.

Officials cited the Hatch Act, which prevents active support of political parties by federal employees. Violations of the Hatch Act may result the loss of an employee's job.

"I didn't know anything about the act. ... They gave me two weeks to make a decision," Merideth said.

Ann O'Hanlon, press and public affairs liaison for the office of U.S. Special Counsel Carolyn Lerner, who enforces the Hatch Act, said it's not unusual for candidates to be blindsided by the act. O'Hanlon said local governments don't always provide information about the Hatch Act, telling potential candidates whether they can legally run for an office.

"I think that is true for a lot of folks, that it's somewhat obscure to a lot of people," O'Hanlon said. "They find out when they bump into it."

Merideth said he will request information about who filed a complaint against him.

He said he intends to run for office again in four years but would make arrangements for his job before committing to the race.

"That would totally be up to the agency that employs them," O'Hanlon said. "There are people who have switched duties, so they do not work for the federally funded portion of the agency they work for."

Lerner, who was appointed by President Barack Obama last June, has asked the government to change the law. She wants local governments to put prohibitions in place. Shortly after taking the job, Lerner realized the reach of the law, which isn't an appropriate way to regulate who's running for office, O'Hanlon said.

Two bills intended to modernize the decades-old act are working their way through Congress. The bills seek to eliminate the provision preventing certain state and local employees from seeking elective office and modify the penalties that may be imposed for some violations.

jgamm@semissourian.com

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