CLICK TO SEE DEPUTY RASO’S LETTER
DEVLIN READS
LETTER TAKING
SON OFF HOOK
Fernandez Uses Expletive
As Rancorous Debate Ends
By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
COOPERSTOWN – County Sheriff Richard J. Devlin, Jr., ended this evening’s rowdy League of Women Voters’ debate in the packed Fenimore Museum Auditorium with a blockbuster.
Having faced criticism from his challenger, retired state trooper Bob Fernandez, on how Devlin handled the case of his prison-guard son, Ros, the sheriff read a letter in which a recently departing deputy exonerated the younger man:
“As I leave for another opportunity, I feel I must clear the air on an alleged incident that occurred on Jan. 5, 2017,” Devlin read from a sheet of paper that bore the signature of a James Raso. “I was in the room when this incident allegedly occurred. At no time did Ros Devlin make any statements that have been alleged.”
Asked about the Raso letter as the debate broke up a couple of minutes later, Fernandez answered, “B*** S***.” He went on to say that the letter could have been extracted under pressure, in exchange for a good reference, and noted it wasn’t given under oath.
If the evening ended with a blockbuster, it began with a punch, as Fernandez, in his opening remarks, repeated “I’m outraged” several times in retracing the Ros Devlin case. While he ran out of time before he could complete his introduction, supporters applauded loudly.
Devlin shot back with a reference to the “witch hunt by your wife,” which is how he’s characterized the investigation of his son launched last year while Fernandez’ spouse, Kathy Clark, R-Otego, chaired the county Board of Representative. The sheriff’s supporters then applauded.
“We can’t have that going on all night,” chided Barbara Heim, moderator for the League of Women Voters, which organized the event. “If it does, we are going to end it.”
Devlin and Fernandez then tackled several questions from the audience and a media panel, on topics like the heroin epidemic and the Safe Act. Both agreed on trying to expand the road patrol.
Each got digs in.
When Fernandez said he’d been told by Oneonta agencies that insufficient services were being provided to addicts and people with disabilities in jail, Devlin erupted, “That’s a lie.”
In discussing his desire to bring back the boat patrol, Devlin remarked, “that program was cut under your wife.”
On putting a “resource officer” – a deputy – on duty in BOCES’ Otsego Area Occupational Center in Milford, Fernandez asked whether he favored expanding the program to all schools in the county, or “only in your hometown.”
While Devlin maintained a sober demeanor, Fernandez winked to audience members, raised his eyebrows, appeared to smirk, and referred to the sheriff only as “Mr. Devlin.” At one point, even he recognized this, noting, “I don’t want to appear flippant.”
Each candidate was given two minutes to respond to questions, and one minute to rebut. With Fernandez continuing to jump in while Devlin rebutted, Heim again cautioned, “We can’t have this back and forth. It’s not what we’re here for.”
A few minutes later, Maureen Murray, president of the League’s Cooperstown chapter, felt compelled to jump in, warning the debaters against “personal attacks.” If they continued, Murray said, “We’ll just close things down and send everybody home.”
It was then that Heim challenged audience members, “Does anybody want to come up here and take this over?” And Tom Leiber, the Oaksville maker of fine guitars and a pal of Fernandez since their high school days on Long Island, jumped up and offered to do so.
By that time, the debate was near its end, with Devlin provided the final jolt in his concluding remarks.
The polls will be open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, with voting on not just the sheriff’s race, but governor, congressman, state Senate and state Assembly races.
