PA Bill Number: HB335
Title: In inchoate crimes, further providing for prohibited offensive weapons.
Description: In inchoate crimes, further providing for prohibited offensive weapons. ...
Last Action: Removed from table
Last Action Date: May 1, 2024
Montgomery County Sheriff Russell Bono announces bid for election :: 01/27/2015
Ten months after being appointed and sworn in to the post, Montgomery County Sheriff Russell Bono announced on Jan. 26 that he will be seeking election for a four-year term to the post.
“We come here today to announce my candidacy for the office of the Sheriff of Montgomery County,” Bono said in front of the grand staircase in the Montgomery County Courthouse.
Bono, 67, was formerly sworn into the post in March 2014 after former Sheriff Eileen Behr announced she would be taking the top job as the head of Drexel University’s police department in December 2013.
“When I retired from the Norristown police department a little less than two years ago, I never envisioned that I’d be standing here today announcing my candidacy for sheriff,” he said.
During the news conference, Bono touted the office’s continued progress in rounding up parents who failed to make court appearances for child support cases.
“I’ve made that a particular mission of mine because I believe that people have no greater blessing in life than to have children and there’s no greater responsibility in life than to support those children,” he said.
Bono also reminded the small crowd that he teamed up with the district attorney’s office to find drunk drivers who have bench warrants and have failed to appear for scheduled court dates.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for warrant service, prisoner transport and courtroom and courthouse security. Presently, Bono oversees a roughly $8 million budget and roughly 125 staff members including deputies. The Montgomery County Sheriff is paid $79,160 per year.
Bono, who said he is also a firm supporter of the second amendment, said under his leadership, the sheriff’s department has hosted free gun-safety classes.
“I’m a firm supporter of the second amendment, but along with that comes a responsibility of learning how to safely handle that weapon,” he said.
Bono also touted his background of over 40 years in law enforcement and said it is important for the sheriff to be familiar with law enforcement considering it is becoming less of an administrative job as time moves on.
“It’s closer to a law enforcement department than strictly an administrative department,” he said, citing the use of the bomb squad and active warrant teams.
Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr., a Republican, said he was unable to attend the news conference but, in an email, said Bono is the man for the job.
“I have, quite literally, known Sheriff Bono my entire professional career dating to the mid-1980s. While I have had the privilege to work with many of the finest law enforcement professionals anywhere, none surpass Russell in temperament, ability, and integrity,” Castor wrote in the email. “If I had a case where I could select only one companion to work with to solve a crime, Russell would be among the very few on that list. He is an absolute professional, and I am proud to have served with him, and I hope I get the chance to serve with him well into the future.”
Bono served as the Norristown police chief from 1998 to 2012 before going into a year-long retirement. When Behr left, he was nominated by the Montgomery County Republican Committee before being appointed by former Gov. Tom Corbett.
Willie Richet, former Norristown police chief and now chief deputy to Bono, expressed his enthusiasm for Bono’s bid for election.
“We spent over 40 years together with the Norristown Police Department and he’s like a brother to me,” Richet said. “As chief of police he oversaw a department of 67 men and women in uniform, and had not only the respect of the Norristown Police Department, but the respect of all Montgomery County law enforcement.
“I can think of no one more qualified for the job of sheriff to continue to lead the fine men and women of the Sheriff’s Department over the next four years, and to continue to serve the citizens of Montgomery County.”
No other Republicans have come forward seeking an endorsement from the Montgomery County Republican Committee. Bono will likely be endorsed by the committee at their convention in February.
Marcel Groen, chairman of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee, did not immediately respond for comment asking if the Democratic Committee plans on running someone against Bono.
http://montgomerynews.com/articles/2015/01/27/colonial_news/news/doc54c6a99b792cb065711502.txt
