The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

Deputy Sheriff Kevin Spudic has thrown his hat into the 2022 Blaine County Sheriff Election, running as a Write-In Candidate. The 2022 Election will take place on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. The Blaine County Journal has made it a point in all contested races locally to reach out to each of the candidates and get their views on the position and what they plan to bring to the job if elected or re-elected. In the best effort to maintain fairness, candidates are each given the same general questions regarding the upcoming election. In maintaining that tradition, the Blaine County Journal this week focuses the spotlight on Incumbent Sheriff John Colby and the Write-In challenger Kevin Spudic.

Incumbent: Blaine County Sheriff,

John Colby, Democrat

Years of Law Enforcement/Military Experience: Sheriff Colby has a long history in Law Enforcement with 24 years of experience to his Credit. Colby got his start with the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office, serving as a Control Officer working as both a Dispatcher and Jailer. In 1998 Colby then began a new position with the Harlem Police Department as a Patrolmen. In 2000 Colby applied for and was hired to fill the position of Chief of Police for the City of Harlem. Colby maintained this position until 2001 when the City of Harlem decided to consolidate with the Blaine County Sheriff Department. After the restructuring of the departments, Colby served as a Sheriff’s Deputy until 2002. In 2001 he took the position of Blaine County Deputy Sheriff and continued there until 2002.

Later in 2002 Colby began a new job in Williston, North Dakota as a Police Officer, leaving in 2007 having achieved of Senior Patrolman and Field Training Officer. Colby then took a position with Dyn-Corp International as a Police Advisor/Mentor, where he trained Afghanistan Police on procedures of obtaining equipment and supplies, in addition to common law enforcement tactics. Colby soon returned to North Dakota where he worked for a company building safety containment systems. In 2010, Colby was back with the Blaine County Sheriff’s, eventually earning the rank of Lieutenant. In 2018 Colby ran for Blaine County Sheriff where he continues to serve. Colby filed for Re-election in the spring of 2022.

What training have you completed that will help you complete the duties as Sheriff of Blaine County: Sheriff Colby has plenty of training to fall back on, “I have over 753 Hours of Training and have also attended the Bullock K9 Academy with K9 Robo in November 2013.” Colby adds, “While in North Dakota I completed a two-week Law Enforcement Academy to become familiar with North Dakota laws. In 2012 I attended the basic Coroner course and became a Deputy Coroner. I also attended numerous in-house trainings with the Williston Police Department, and a field training officer course.”

Reasons for running for Re-election: “I have never been much of a politician; however, I originally ran for Sheriff and continue to ask for your support because I believe in the job that we do in Law Enforcement. I think that Blaine County is a wonderful community to raise a family, but I also know the issues that we face. Drugs, alcoholism, and untreated mental illness are major issues that we deal with. They lead to most of the other criminal activities we deal with. Community interaction is vital to a productive working relationship with law enforcement. I believe that Deputies need to go into the community and interact with everyone. We will continue to try to be at as many events as possible so that the community is comfortable when dealing with the Sheriff’s Office,” stated Colby.

What programs do you look to continue, changes to maybe implement: Colby wants to continue to build on what his department has already done, “As of August, we dropped to an associate member of the Tri-Agency Drug Task Force. This allowed us to remain and utilize the Task Force in assisting us with large drug investigations. I am planning on having a Deputy assigned to a detective position. This will ensure that cases get follow up and assist with streamlining prosecution for the Blaine County Attorney’s Office.” Colby also looks to have more of a presence to the local schools, “I am also looking into having a School Resource Officer. Having a Deputy in the schools will help to bring students someone in a law enforcement role that they can connect with and hopefully we will be able to get students resources to get them help during the hard times that they encounter. I would like to reinstate a K9 program. These programs are goals that I have. If you have any other questions or concerns, I would be happy to visit with you. God willing and voter willing, you will support me in my goals.”

Write-In Candidate, Kevin Spudic

Years of Law Enforcement/Military Experience: Deputy Spudic has a long history of Military Service having served for more than 17 years in the Air Force/Air National Guard from 1985 to 2003. Spudic served eight of those years as enlisted (E1-E6), followed by nine years as a Commissioned officer (O1-O4). Most of his experience was in Airfield Fighter Squadron Operations, eventually earning his wings as a Navigator. Spudic served many Active Duty tours and deployments including time at the Pentagon and in the Persian Gulf before leaving the service with the rank of Major. After leaving the service Spudic earned a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management Spudic then started and eventually sold his own mobile voice and data business. Looking for a change he then considered two paths, “The State Police and the railroad. The railroad won out because of the money. I have very few regrets but learned the hard way that doing a job for the money is unfulfilling.”

Spudic soon left the railroad and began his journey in Law Enforcement and has accumulated eight years of experience in a variety of roles. I’ve gained just under 8 years of law enforcement experience in a variety of roles. He served with the Montana Department of Transportation as a Commercial Motor Vehicle Inspector. In 2018 at the request of the Chinook Chief of Police he began working a few parttime shifts with the Chinook Police Department and developed a fondness for the community interaction and found it to be more satisfying than focusing on traffic. Spudic soon became the Chinook Police Department Assistant Chief of Police. In 2021 he transitioned to the Blaine County Sheriff’s Office, eventually working as the departments Tri-Agency Drug Task Force Representative.

What training have you completed that will help you complete the duties as Sheriff of Blaine County: “The totality of all my training and experiences in the military, business world, and Law Enforcement are what have prepared me for the role of Sheriff,” said Spudic. “The citizens of Blaine County deserve nothing less than a professionally run Sheriff’s Office that is responsive to their unique needs. It will be run with efficiently. There are plenty of talented people within the Department and we’ll figure out how to do more with less. That’s how I was able to build a business and sell it at profit.” Spudic adds that his previous mobile and voice business experience will improve the department’s ability to conduct business, “I’m technology savvy. I’ve already collaborated with our Dispatching team to maximize the return of our recent investment in a new CAD (Computer Aided Dispatching) system. Too much money has been spent on this project and it’s still not fully deployed with all Deputies.

Reasons for Running, what changes would you bring to the Sheriff’s Department: “The transition from working full-time at the Task Force to spending more hours at the Sheriff’s Office have exposed me to the day-to-day operations and administration of the Department. I’ve always been somewhat intolerant of idle time at the workplace, and I’m devoted to our obligation of being responsible stewards of taxpayer’s hard earned money. My philosophy is that when you come to work, you’re there to work. The unique nature of Law Enforcement means that there will be natural periods of calm interrupted by extreme events,” said Spudic. “I have no problem with this time being spent building invaluable rapport and camaraderie with fellow members of our LE team. After all, we place our lives in each other’s hands on a daily basis and those bonds are crucial. This behavior must be tempered and balanced with professional responsibilities. The workplace is not for our leisure. It’s certainly no place for playing card games while missing critical deadlines.

What Changes/Modifications Would You Bring: “Manpower on our team is critically short. The answer isn’t to simply ask the Commissioners for funding more positions. A day one priority will be the establishment of a Reserve Deputy program. Several Blaine County citizens are willing to step up and meet this challenge. Many counties and municipalities have Reserve programs in place,” commented Spudic. “We can tailor their existing programs to meet our specific needs. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. It won’t take ‘years to develop’ as I was told when I was first hired on and asked Sheriff Colby the question. I’ll focus on developing every Deputy to their fullest potential, maximizing their contributions to the team, and retaining that talent. The capability is already there, it just needs leadership that provides an environment to cultivate it.” Spudic goes on to say, “I’ll make tough decisions. The Deputies and the citizens of Blaine County need a Sheriff and that means not trying to be everybody’s friend all of the time. Telling someone what they want to hear to avoid unpleasantness and sharing another employee’s shortfalls with them may gain short term popularity with that person, but it ultimately leads to undermining the long term cohesion of the team.”

Spudic seeks to build inter-agency working relationships, “I’ll fortify the Department’s relationships with other law enforcement agencies. This is one of the key reasons there’s ongoing success with collaborative efforts in the recent vandalism investigation. Our relationship with our Fort Belknap LE brothers and sisters is crucial. Both Departments are better for everybody when we partner together sharing common goals.” He will look to ensure every citizen is protected, “I’ll ensure all areas of the county receive dedicated LE professional services. This includes our citizens in the remote areas in the southern part of Blaine County. We’ll have a presence in all the schools in Blaine County. The small investment of our time with children now will reap ten-fold future dividends when they begin their adult lives. Blaine County Sheriff’s Office will be as transparent as an organization as possible. As possible means not every aspect of LE sensitive information can be shared. I’ll strive to keep the citizens informed of our efforts, successes, and challenges on an official level.”