SOUTH HADLEY — The three Democratic candidates for Hampshire County sheriff during a forum Thursday night sounded off on issues ranging from the jail’s accessibility to resources related to inmate educational and vocational programs to evaluating staff employed at the jail.
The two-hour forum at South Hadley High School, sponsored by the citizens group Know Your Town, came two weeks ahead of the primary election on Sept. 8. There was no mention during the forum, attended by approximately 50 people, about a Gazette story published online Thursday afternoon raising questions about the law enforcement background claimed by candidate Kavern Lewis, of Amherst.
However, Lewis after the forum addressed the story in a Facebook broadcast.
The lone Republican candidate, David Isakson, did not participate in the forum.
Governor’s Council candidates Mary Hurley and Jeffrey Morneau, both Democrats, also took part in the forum.
As has been the case in previous forums, Patrick Cahillane, of Northampton, emphasized his current position as assistant superintendent and special sheriff at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction, where he has worked for roughly three decades.
Melissa Perry, of Northampton, the director of behavioral health nursing at Holyoke Medical Center and a registered nurse, said her experience managing a large budget and her “quality and collaborative approach” to treatment makes her the right candidate for one of the county’s top law enforcement posts.
Lewis, who is a substitute teacher for Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, again emphasized his “10 combined years” experience in law enforcement, corrections and private security.
When asked whether the jail facility had access to resources that help foster programs for both inmates and staff — as well as whether there was a disparity in resources when comparing programs in eastern and western Massachusetts — Cahillane noted challenges with budget cuts, but said he supports maintaining and adding programs however he could.
Lewis declined to answer the question, citing his unfamiliarity with state resources which might be available to the jail.
Perry said that, in her current role, it is evident that facilities and programs in eastern Massachusetts received more funding, but that legislators would throw more money at programs in the area provided they saw a positive success rate.
When asked how to go about assessing the leadership qualities of jail staff, Perry acknowledged she did not have proper insight related to the various positions that comprise the leadership team of the jail.
“I’m not familiar with all the leadership at the jail, and certainly I’ve gotten earfuls about the leadership at the jail, but have nothing to substantiate it,” Perry said. “But would I like to do is evaluate on an ongoing basis … (including) leadership effectiveness both with people who are incarcerated and the staff.”
Lewis said he would actively encourage community engagement.
“When it comes to the leaders of the jail, here in 2016, we’re looking for a certain type of leadership — someone that is diverse, someone that is active in the community, and I think those aspects alone say a lot about an individual.”
Cahillane stressed how he would continue to encourage a team-oriented environment at the facility.
“These are people who are conscious of what it means … to take care of people who need to go back to the community and be good citizens,” Cahillane said. “That is the purpose of the work and everyone on the team plays a part.”
In previous public forums and throughout his campaign, Lewis has consistently touted his experience — citing his time as a police officer in Washington, D.C., experience working with the Charleston Sheriff’s Office in South Carolina and several honorary special sheriff’s deputy posts across several departments.
His description of his credentials Thursday evening, however, was noticeably more succinct than in previous forums — leaving out any mention of his specific policing and law enforcement experiences.
A report published online by the Gazette Thursday afternoon called into question Lewis’ past employment history and reported that several officials from agencies he claimed to have worked for, such as the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, have no record of him being employed.
Lewis said in an interview Tuesday that he stood by his previous employment claims.
After the forum Thursday, Lewis broadcast a live video to his personal Facebook page, where he addressed media scrutiny.
“The media is a bully, a complete bully. And I refuse to allow people to get away with this stuff,” he said in the broadcast. “I don’t know why I’m even running anymore … there’s so many times where I wanted to just not run anymore because there’s people out there who don’t want see me succeed, want to break me down, want to kill me,” he added, citing anonymous threats made by email and telephone.
He continued: “I’m not a quitter. My mother raised me better than that.”
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.