HomeMy WebLinkAbout072026 - Public Comment – July 20_ 2026 BOCC Meeting – Transparency Regarding Jean Ball and the Sheriff's OfficeALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Commissioners,
I want to raise a transparency concern regarding District 3 County Commissioner candidate Jean Ball and her relationship with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
Ms. Ball has publicly emphasized her nine years of service on the Sheriff's Citizen Advisory Committee, where she advocated for additional law-enforcement presence in South County. Public
campaign records also show that she played an active organizational role in Andy Pernsteiner's campaign for Sheriff. She created and administered campaign social media, recruited volunteers,
coordinated campaign signs, and helped solicit campaign support. Sheriff Pernsteiner has now publicly endorsed Jean Ball for County Commissioner.
Political endorsements are not automatically improper. However, when someone seeking a position responsible for overseeing county budgets and government operations has also served as
an adviser to the Sheriff and helped manage his political campaign, the public deserves transparency about that relationship. If elected, Ms. Ball could be involved in decisions affecting
the Sheriff's Office, including funding, staffing, and oversight. Citizens therefore have a right to ask whether she can independently evaluate requests from an office whose elected
leader she helped campaign for and who is now supporting her campaign.
This is not an accusation of an illegal agreement. It is a request for disclosure, independence, and meaningful public scrutiny before voters are asked to place additional authority
in the same closely connected circle.
Amber Armstrong
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