Get to know your Barton County candidates

A questionnaire was sent out to candidates running for the three local races to be included on the August 4 ballot. They are public administrator, coroner and sheriff for Barton County. Below are the responses from the candidates, in order that it might help the voter in choosing the right candidate.

Public Administrator

My name is Randy Schlichting and I am seeking the position of public administrator to be able to serve the citizens of this county who need assistance with making decisions that they are unable to make on their own. I have always been passionate about community service. The office of public administrator is just that, a necessary community service.

I am a lifelong resident of Barton County. I feel that I am qualified to serve the community in this office. I graduated from Lamar High School in 2006. I then attended college, earning my bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Pittsburg State University in 2011.

For the last 10 years I have been employed at Truman Healthcare, currently in the role of the Social Service director. In this position I have assisted many individuals and families with various tasks to ensure that their loved ones received the best possible care.

I am very dedicated to making sure that our residents’ psychosocial needs are met. If elected, I would also strive to ensure that the needs of the individuals whom I would be guardian/conservator for are met. I have also worked closely over the years with many public administrators across the state.

I am compassionate, dedicated and motivated to serve this community I am proud to call home.

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My name is Julie O’Connor Hagen and I am seeking the position of public administrator. I have seen instances where the elderly and disabled have been treated unfairly. I witnessed my brother, who spent 18 years of his life disabled, struggle with various organizations, doctors, nursing homes, etc. to get the assistance, help and care that he desperately needed. I would like to aid in the prevention of these struggles. I genuinely care about people and have a strong desire to help those who need someone to look out for them.

As a legal assistant to George Nichols for the past 15 years, I have gained the experience, credentials and work ethic that will serve me well in this position. I have a strong knowledge of the probate court system and procedures. I have worked on estates and trusts. While working for Mr. Nichols, I decided to further my education at Missouri Southern State University. In December 2012, I received my Associates of Science in Law Enforcement and in May 2016 I received my Bachelors of Science in Criminal Justice Administration, with a minor in Paralegal Studies.

Along with my education and experience, I am compassionate, have a desire to help others, the dedication and willingness to serve and assist the elderly, disabled and incapacitated and those who do not have anyone to look out for their best interests.

My parents are Jake and Joyce O’Connor. I grew up in the Lockwood/Golden City area and graduated Lockwood High School in 1994. I moved to Lamar after graduating high school and have been happy to call Lamar home for the past 25 years. I have raised my four amazing children here. I have two beautiful daughters and two handsome sons. My three oldest kids have graduated Lamar High School and gone on to college and my youngest son will be a sophomore this fall. I have also been blessed with two adorable grandchildren.

Coroner

My name is Sarah Rutledge and I’ve been in emergency medicine for 13 plus years now. My experience is my everyday work and my education, as I am a graduate from the Missouri Southern State University Paramedic program, makes me more than qualified for this position. Determining the cause of death is much like my every day job I do as a paramedic. It’s working a problem to find the answer. First off I look at the patient, interview them, I take that objective and subjective information I gather in my initial assessment to form a diagnosis and follow up with treatment. This will be helpful as a coroner. I have the medical background, which is the science to help me come to a conclusion whether this was a natural death or otherwise, which is the job as coroner.

Although the Missouri requirements to become a coroner candidate actually have nothing to do with the job, I feel my education, experience and ongoing work as a first responder makes me the best candidate for being your next “last responder”.

Currently I hold the second highest rank at Barton County Ambulance as Paramedic Captain. I am married to my husband of almost eight years, with three children, Lamar is our home and we are very active and love this community. I serve on the Health Occupations board at the Lamar Career and Technical Center.

If I could tell you three things about me, I am a Christian, I am an American through and through and I am a servant at heart, it’s just who I am. I would love nothing more than to serve this community in another aspect and be the next Barton County coroner.

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My name is Tammy Deherrera and I am currently the elected coroner for Barton County. I am seeking to be re-elected to the position I currently hold.

I have over 18 years of civilian law enforcement experience and 23 years as retired Army military. Having served our county for the last four years as the county coroner, I am trained in numerous areas of investigation fields.

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, specializing in Criminal Investigations. These areas of expertise are important in recognizing and gathering information during the investigation of a sudden death when determining time, manner and cause of death.

I have been in office since 2017, handling numerous death investigations, working with the family members to determine the sudden loss of their loved one. I pride myself in being available 24 hours a day for community members in answering questions they may have and guiding them through the grieving process.

I have two adult sons and three grandchildren and enjoy the time I spend with family and friends. I like to go fishing and antiquing. I have lived in Barton County (Lamar) since 1994 and believe that this community is a great place to raise a family.

Barton County Sheriff

My name is John Simpson, I’m from Liberal and am running for Barton County Sheriff in the upcoming election.

Barton County has always been my home and I am running for sheriff to have the opportunity to make a difference in this area. Running for sheriff has been a goal of mine since first working for the sheriff’s department in 1999. I think that it is important that we establish greater trust between our sheriff’s office and the community. With my past experience in law enforcement I feel that I have the knowledge and qualities of a leader to be an advocate for not only the sheriff’s department, but the citizens of Barton County as well.

I have had 20 years of law enforcement experience working for the Barton County Sheriff’s Department, Liberal Police Department and the Lamar Police Department. I have experience in filing all of the state and federal reports required for law enforcement and I have served on the Liberal R-2 Board of Education for eight years. I also serve on the Barton County Ambulance District Board of Directors.

I feel that I am a qualified candidate for sheriff of Barton County because of my years of experience in law enforcement and my years of experience in serving the community. I have spent my entire adult life as a public servant and believe serving as your sheriff will be the best way for me to continue to do so.

I am a lifelong resident of Barton County and graduated from Liberal High School in 1999. I attended the Missouri Southern State University Police Academy and have worked in law enforcement ever since. I live on a small farm just outside of Liberal with my wife of 20 years, Shasta, who works as a Registered Nurse at Cox Barton County Hospital. Shasta and I have three wonderful kids, Kylah, Laney and Kaidon.

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I’m Mitchell Shaw and I am serving my third term as sheriff and seeking a fourth term.

I am seeking re-election as the sheriff so that I can continue serving the community that I have been a part of my entire life. I want to continue the ideals I’ve upheld during my office and have more deputies patrolling on the roads of our county, protecting our citizens. The biggest task is to make the sheriff’s office to be fiscally sustainable. I have plans to implement other avenues to fund sheriff’s office expenses and maintenance, including the repair or replacement of our jail facility which was originally constructed in the 1930’s and is incredibly outdated.

I was born and raised in Lamar. My father is Larry Shaw, who grew up and graduated from Golden City. He retired as a lineman for Barton County Electric. My mother is Patsy Shaw (Williams), who grew up and graduated from Lamar. She has worked in the healthcare field for many years, helping many people from our community as an LPN. I watched my parent’s hard work and dedication to community, church and family.

I graduated from Lamar High School in 1993. I attended Missouri Southern State University. While taking classes at MSSU I would ride along with deputies of the Barton County Sheriff’s Office and became enthralled by the possibility of being a deputy sheriff. In 1997 I graduated the police academy at Missouri Southern. I was hired by Sheriff Bill Griffitt. I also had the privilege to work under Police Chief Ron Hager at the Lamar Police Department from 2005-2008.

I have been married for 15 years to my wife Amy (Owen) Shaw; she is a graduate of Liberal High School. We have two children. Our daughter Lacie is 25 and our son Gage is 13. We also have two granddaughters. Our family attends the Lamar United Methodist Church.

Twelve years as the Barton County Sheriff has gone by so fast. I have 23 years of law enforcement experience and still love this job as much as I did on the first day. It has been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, but every day I thank God for my opportunity to serve my community and my office. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the present and past employees of the sheriff’s office. I am very grateful for their dedication and drive to keep our community safe.

If reelected I will continue to serve the people of Barton County by providing the best community based law enforcement services available, to everyone equally and fairly, treating all with the respect they deserve.