Sheriff Candidates Address Concerns: Grassroots Forum

A Grassroots Candidate Forum was held at the Lake of the Ozarks Board of Realtors for the Camden County, Missouri Sheriff's Race Tuesday, August 6, 2024.

By Vicki Wood

Brian Butts and Josh Butterfield, Candidates in the Camden County, Missouri Sheriffs Race hold a roundtable forum at the Lake of the OzarksPhoto byJosh Butterfield

In the upcoming Camden County Sheriff’s race, two candidates attended an open forum held at the Lake of the Ozarks Board of Realtors building in Sunrise Beach on Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Candidates Brian Butts and Josh Butterfield came together to address voters' concerns with the public. The roundtable discussion was absent of party politics, just two guys having a chat.

Josh Butterfield is a grassroots candidate, well known for his podcasts and for eliciting change on the Camden County School District Board of Education over mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. His grassroots efforts that drew a fairly large collective of concerned parents and grandparents led a movement that seated Brian Butts and Gail Griswold on the Camdenton School board. He is also a supporter of the change of candidates who took seats on the Camden County Commission over the past few years.

In a forum “for the people, by the people,” Butterfield and certified candidate Butts were the only two that attended. The event was organized by Butterfield, and he says that at one point, all of the Camden County Sheriff’s candidates had the intention to attend. Butterfield was denied ballot certification earlier this year because he does not hold an officer’s license. He has continued to attend all of the forums and record them, sharing them on his YouTube Channel-Butterfield Unleashed. The roving independent reporter, sometimes a digital creator, promotes transparency in government in a “We the People” style. He voiced his appreciation for the Lake of the Ozarks Board of Realtors for providing the host site for the forum.

Brian Butts also greatly appreciated the Board of Realtors for providing a site for the roundtable discussion. He shared that the intimate venue allowed the two candidates to “deep dive” into some issues that do not happen in other candidate forums. “It was, essentially, two people who love liberty and this community sitting down and having an open, civil discussion about how to best protect them. The format was different than any other event, but in a very good way” said Butts.

Butts and Butterfield differed on quite a few issues but ran the forum themselves with a moderator on standby in case other candidates had attended. It ended up being two men at a table sharing and contrasting ideas for a better future for the lake area.

Starting with the biggest problem, Butterfield said “the public had stated in other forums is federal government infringement.” The two candidates openly discussed solutions to ensure protection for local citizens. Favoritism, corruption, and nepotism in county government were also discussed. A justice box creating checks and balances for the prosecutor and sheriff's office was one idea that was floated. Butts suggested a forum for public input via social media so that citizens could participate with transparency in government.

Addiction to drugs was talked about with Butts in favor of drug court availability for drug convictions. Butterfield suggested an AA/NA voucher system in place of tickets for people with very small drug possession charges. The issue was handled with a humanistic approach for offenders.

The efficiency of the sheriff’s department and the community’s protection was the final topic, with Butts in favor of a rapid response unit, ensuring major crimes would be handled quickly and efficiently. Butterfield proposed a volunteer police force to help offset officer shortages countywide, with volunteers used from subdivisions and lake roads. They could be responsible for minor disturbances, take reports, and be on the scene immediately, leaving officers more time to address serious crimes.

Wrapping up the roundtable night, Butts added, “The questions/issues have been covered at other events, but we were able to go into much greater detail about answers/solutions. I feel it was very beneficial and thank Josh for the opportunity and LOBOA for allowing us to use their beautiful facility. The video, posted on YouTube, is long, but it's worth watching. Many will find it enlightening.”

Camden County Sheriff Candidates Roundtable Discussion can be found on YouTube.com at Butterfield Unleashed https://youtu.be/QE7eYIWFGV0?feature=shared