By VERNON ROBISON
Moapa Valley Progress
Over 100 people crowded into, and in front of, Tiffany’s Pies & Subs restaurant in Logandale on Saturday night for a chance to meet and speak with Larry Burns, candidate for Sheriff of Metropolitan Police Department.
The campaign event was organized by Tiffany’s owner Scott Carson who was hard at work behind the counter throughout the evening serving up free Hawaiian Shaved Ice and fresh-baked cookies to the crowd.
Carson said that he had been impressed with the “good, old-fashioned ideas” put forward by Burns in his race for Sheriff this year.
“He would bring a straight-forward, no-politics, breath of fresh air to Metro,” Carson said of Burns. “I felt strongly enough about him that we needed to have an event here in the valley so that people could get acquainted with him.”
Burns, who retired in 2013 after a distinguished career of 27 years at Metro, is up against Metro Assistant Sheriff Joe Lombardo.
Burns said that things have been going well in the last few weeks of the campaign and that he was optimistic of the outcome. Burns, who has been seen as the underdog, is now running neck and neck with his opponent in the race, according to regional news media polls.
“I think it is a real testament to starting out and holding up high principles from the beginning and not changing things along the way,” Burns said. “We have been able to stay positive and focus on important issues and I think people have responded well.”
In attendance at the event was a large group of Metro police officers who reside in the community, along with their families. They showed enthusiastic support for Burns. Burns has been endorsed by the Las Vegas Police Protective Association.
During the evening, Burns was asked what his response was to his opposition who has claimed that support of the officers’ union is a negative sign for his campaign, indicating that perhaps he is in the pockets of the unions. Burns responded that union support doesn’t always equate to the rank and file support of the men and women of the organization. In this case, it does, he said.
Burns said that when the union took a vote of its membership on the endorsement that he received 96 percent of the vote from the men and women who are the rank and file members of the union.
“Never had as many of the membership voted in support of anything,” Burns said. “That includes contracts or anything else in the history of the organization. It was great news. That means I would walk into the office with the trust of the people from day one. Imagine having to walk into office with only 2 percent support of your people. That’s the way it would be with my opponent. I see the endorsement as a positive thing. In reality it is what we all sought from the very beginning.”
Burns said that the support of the rank and file officers would allow him to start right away to focus on regaining the trust of the community.
