Donald B. Smith | |
---|---|
Born | |
Education | |
Occupations | |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Jane Powell (m. 1972;died 2015) |
Children | Two; nine grandchildren |
Military career | |
Branch | United States Army |
Years | 1969– |
Rank | Brigadier general |
Conflicts | Vietnam War [1] |
Awards | |
54th Sheriff of Putnam County, NY | |
In office January 1, 2002 –December 29, 2017 | |
Preceded by | Robert D. Thoubboron |
Succeeded by | Robert L. Langley Jr. |
Signature | |
Donald Blaine Smith (born September 18,1947) is an American former sheriff of Putnam County,New York,and a retired United States Army officer.
Donald Blaine Smith, [2] born on September 18,1947 [3] in Danbury,Connecticut,grew up in the Putnam County town of Patterson,New York. [1] Smith married Jane Powell (born 1951) on June 24,1972,at the Holy Trinity Church in Pawling,New York;she died of breast cancer on December 6,2015. Smith has two children (Christopher and Cherilynne) [4] and,as of December 2017 [update] ,nine grandchildren. [1] That same year,records showed that Smith owned multiple properties in New York,Florida,and Virginia with a summative value of US$1.149 million (equivalent to about $1.27M in 2021). [5]
Smith graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1965,and the United States Military Academy in 1969. After receiving his Bachelor of Science from the latter,Smith was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. Smith later earned his Master of Science in systems management from the University of Southern California. [1]
While in the Army,Smith attended and graduated from the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the National Defense University (1986). From 1993–1996,Smith served as the chief of the United States delegation to the International Military Sports Council. [1]
Awards received during his military service include the Distinguished Service Medal,the Defense Superior Service Medal,two Legion of Merits,the Bronze Star Medal,three Meritorious Service Medals,and two Army Commendation Medals. [1] Smith's promotion from colonel to brigadier general was scheduled to go before the United States Senate on March 3,1992; [6] he later retired from the Army at that higher rank. [7]
Robert D. Thoubboron was elected as the Putnam County,New York sheriff in 1985,but by 2001,he and his office were embroiled in controversies including abuse of civil and political rights,drunken law enforcement officers,and retaliatory abuse of power. [8] Smith,then the deputy county executive for Putnam County (since 1999), [1] had no law-enforcement experience. Despite this,he secured the endorsement of the Democratic,Conservative,Independence,and Green parties [8] before defeating Thoubboron in the 2001 Putnam County Republican Party primary election. With the single-purpose platform of "bring[ing] integrity back to the Sheriff's Department leadership," [9] Smith received 62% of votes to Thoubboron's 38%. [10] Instead of conceding however,Thoubboron ran against Smith again in the general election under the banner of "Safe County",a political party created solely for the incumbent sheriff; [9] on November 11,2001,Smith defeated Thoubboron again,this time with 76% of the vote. [11]
Elected as the 54th sheriff of Putnam County, [12] Smith took office on January 1,2002. According to the Putnam County Sheriff's Department biography of Smith,during the sheriff's tenure he has focused his efforts on community policing,"increasing the intensity of the war on drugs," and promoting "drivers’safety programs and safety belt usage". Smith's biography also said that his leadership is responsible for the expansion of school resource officers in Putnam County middle and high schools. [1]
Smith has been a three-time officeholder with the New York State Sheriffs' Association (NYSSA),serving as their president,chairman of their legislative committee,and as a trustee on their executive board. [1] In 2013,while representing the NYSSA,Smith evoked the United States Declaration of Independence and the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution when he spoke out against the NY SAFE Act. The NYSSA and Smith personally joined the New York State Rifle and Pistol Association's lawsuit alleging the legislation violated the constitutions of the United States and of New York. [13] After the 2016 death of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia,the lawsuit was dropped out of fear that the court could rule against them,setting precedent. [14]
By 2017,Smith's county salary was $142,818(equivalent to $157,883 in 2021). [5] Running that year for his fifth term as sheriff,Smith lost to Robert L. Langley Jr. by 341 votes. After 16 years as sheriff,Smith stepped down as Langley was sworn-in on December 29,2017. [15]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Donald B. Smith | 3,536 | 61.75 | |
Republican | Robert D. Thoubboron | 2,189 | 38.23 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Donald B. Smith | 15,741 | 75.63 | |
Safe County | Robert D. Thoubboron | 5,068 | 24.35 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Donald B. Smith | 13,254 | 99.98 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Donald B. Smith | 11,563 | 59.72 | |
Democratic | Kevin J. McConville | 6,440 | 33.26 | |
Working Families | Jim Borkowski | 1,351 | 6.98 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Donald B. Smith | 11,524 | 98.76 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Robert L. Langley | 12,330 | 49.67 | |
Republican | Donald B. Smith | 12,006 | 48.37 |
Adam Levy served as the Putnam County,New York district attorney (DA) from 2007–2015,and his relationship with Smith quickly befouled when each began arguing with the other over "perceived intrusions into each man's respective county agency." By January 2013,Smith had begun writing to New York and United States federal law enforcement agencies about Levy's alleged interference. [7]
Alexandru Hossu was a Romanian in the United States on a years-expired travel visa. A friend and personal trainer to Levy,Hossu was arrested by the Putnam County Sheriff's Department on March 20,2013,and charged with raping a 12-year-old girl. Levy claimed the arrest was a political stunt by Smith in an effort to embarrass the district attorney;the sheriff's office issued press releases declaring Levy's address as Hossu's,though the latter "had not stayed there for months." Smith responded by saying that Levy was interfering with the investigation and that "Levy,'or someone acting at his direction,' had even tipped off Hossu and coached him on what to say during a monitored call with the alleged rape victim prior to the arrest." [7]
DA Levy contributed $30,000 to his friend's defense,and Hossu's lawyer was Levy's brother-in-law. Levy denied interfering in the criminal investigation nor knowing Hossu's visa status at the time of the arrest. Smith released a retraction "in which he apologized and acknowledged statements he made about Levy were 'untrue.'" In June 2017,Levy's defamation lawsuit against Smith was settled with the sheriff agreeing to drop his own lawsuit against Levy and pay $150,000(equivalent to $165,823 in 2021). [7] Of that amount,Smith paid $25,000 while Putnam County paid the rest. In late 2019,Hossu's lawsuit against Smith and the county was finalized:the government's insurer paid the man $500,000(equivalent to $529,936 in 2021),while the county itself owed half as much. [20]
In the Putnam County region,Smith has been involved in community organizations including as president of the Westchester–Putnam Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the Mental Health Association in Putnam County. [1] As of December 2017 [update] ,Smith was the chairman of the American Security Council Foundation's board of directors. [21]
Putnam County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census,the population was 97,668. The county seat is Carmel. Putnam County formed in 1812 from Dutchess County and is named for Israel Putnam,a hero in the French and Indian War and a general in the American Revolutionary War.
Jefferson County is a county on the northern border of the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census,the population was 116,721. Its county seat is Watertown. The county is named after Thomas Jefferson,third President of the United States of America. It is adjacent to Lake Ontario,southeast from the Canada–US border of Ontario.
Alachua County is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census,the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville,the home of the University of Florida since 1906,when the campus opened with 106 students.
Greenville County is located in the state of South Carolina,in the United States. As of the 2020 census,the population was 525,534,making it the most populous county in the state. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is also home to the Greenville County School District,the largest school system in South Carolina. County government is headquartered at Greenville County Square.
Putnam Valley is a town in Putnam County,New York,United States. The population was 11,809 at the 2010 census. Its location is northeast of New York City,in the southwestern part of Putnam County.Putnam Valley calls itself the "Town of Lakes".
Gus Michael Bilirakis is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 12th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party,he first entered Congress in 2007,where he succeeded his father Michael Bilirakis,representing Florida's 9th congressional district until redistricting. His district includes much of the northern portion of the Tampa Bay area. Bilirakis previously served as the Florida state representative for the 48th district from 1998 to 2006.
New York State Assembly,District 99 is located in the southern part of the State of New York in the United States. District 99 is north of New York City and is composed of parts of Orange and Rockland Counties. It is encompassed by New York's 39th State Senate district and New York's 18th congressional district.
Joseph Michael Arpaio is an American former law enforcement officer and politician. He served as the 36th Sheriff of Maricopa County,Arizona for 24 years,from 1993 to 2017,losing reelection to Democrat Paul Penzone in 2016.
Thomas Edward Perez is an American politician and attorney who served as the Chair of the Democratic National Committee from February 2017 until January 2021. Perez was previously Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights (2009–2013) and United States Secretary of Labor (2013–2017). He was a GU Politics Fellow at the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service in 2021.
Robert Watson Ferguson is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 18th attorney general of Washington. A member of the Democratic Party,he was first elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020. Prior to serving as Attorney General,Ferguson was a member of the King County Council.
Robert Joseph Wittman is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 1st congressional district since 2007. The district stretches from the fringes of the Washington suburbs to the Hampton Roads area. He is a member of the Republican Party.
The New York City Sheriff's Office (NYCSO),officially the Office of the Sheriff of the City of New York,is the primary civil law enforcement agency for New York City. The Sheriff's Office is a division of the New York City Department of Finance,operating as an enforcement arm. The Sheriff's Office handles investigations concerning cigarette tax enforcement,real estate property/deed fraud and other matters deemed necessary by the Department of Finance.
Jason Thomas Smith is an American businessman and politician who has been the U.S. representative for Missouri's 8th congressional district since 2013. The district comprises 30 counties,covering just under 20,000 square miles of southeastern and southern Missouri.
The 2018 Florida gubernatorial election was held on November 6,2018,to elect the next governor of Florida,alongside an election to the United States Senate,elections to the United States House of Representatives and other state and local elections. Incumbent two-term Republican governor Rick Scott was term-limited and could not run for a third term,so he instead successfully ran for Florida's Class I Senate seat.
The 2018 Nevada gubernatorial election took place on November 6,2018,to elect the next governor of Nevada. Incumbent Republican Governor Brian Sandoval was ineligible to run for re-election,due to the absolute two-term limit established by the Nevada Constitution. Nevada is one of eight U.S. states that prohibits its governors or any other state and territorial executive branch officials from serving more than two terms,even if they are nonconsecutive.
James Richard Baird is an American businessman and politician who serves as the U.S. representative from Indiana's 4th congressional district. Before being elected to Congress,Baird served from 2010 to 2018 as a member of the Indiana House of Representatives and as a Putnam County commissioner from 2006 to 2010. A Vietnam veteran,Baird was elected to Congress on November 6,2018.
After the 2020 United States presidential election,the campaign for incumbent President Donald Trump and others filed and lost at least 63 lawsuits contesting election processes,vote counting,and the vote certification process in multiple states,including Arizona,Georgia,Michigan,Nevada,Pennsylvania,and Wisconsin. Among the judges who dismissed the lawsuits were some appointed by Trump himself.
In direct response to Pennsylvania Democratic Party v. Boockvar and the 2020 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania,the Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign launched numerous lawsuits contesting the purview of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and the election processes of Pennsylvania. All of these have either been dismissed or dropped. The last two remaining cases were dismissed without comment by the Supreme Court on February 22,2021. On April 19,2021,more than five months after the November 3,2020 election,the Supreme Court declined to hear the outstanding case brought by former Republican congressional candidate Jim Bognet,dismissing it without comment.
A new leadership team headed by Robert L. Langley Jr. took the reins Friday after a swearing-in ceremony at the historic courthouse.