Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 17, 1995 TAG: 9505170047
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KATHY LOAN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
FAMILY AND COMMUNITY TIES: Lived here since 1967. Worked for Hercules out of high school and the Lynchburg Foundry. Served in Vietnam, returned to Hercules, then joined Virginia State Police in 1972. Married with a son and a daughter.
CAMPAIGNING: Postcard campaign asking people to come to the mass meeting.
MASS MEETING TURNOUT GOAL: "I feel like if I have 350 supporters at the mass meeting, I can secure the nomination."
LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE: Montgomery County's chief deputy , January-September 1992. State police, 1972-1986, then again 1987-1991. Radford's chief of police, 1986-87.
WHY HE'S THE BEST CANDIDATE: Bolen says the focus in law enforcement today is on community service. The public demands a professional, educated law enforcement officer, said Bolen, who is pursuing a master's degree in alcohol and drug abuse counseling. Alcohol and drug abuse are the root of most crimes, he said. Of the three GOP candidates, Bolen says, "We all three started in law enforcement at the same time. I continued my education and they didn't. ... I just don't think they've moved with the times."
KEY COMMENTS: "The Sheriff's Office is not separate from the people. They get their authority from the will of the people . ... We are just the instruments that the people use to maintain order."
That said, a sheriff must also enforce all laws impartially, Bolen said. Juggling the public servant role and law enforcement role creates a happy community. Bolen said the department needs to be proactive rather than reactive.
ASSESSMENT OF PAST FOUR YEARS: "I'm disappointed in what has happened in the sheriff's office." He said the State Compensation Board took away positions that the Sheriff's Office didn't fight for. New employees are being paid more than people already there, he said, and these pay inequities are intolerable.
A GOOD SHERIFF IS ONE WHO: "knows the office; has the technical knowledge of the office" and the ability and experience to apply it. "Last but not least, never gets above his position ... never gets too powerful."
LAST MOVIE SEEN: "Forrest Gump"
LAST BOOK READ: "Official and Confidential: The Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover," by Anthony Summers
FAVORITE QUOTE: Something Will Rogers said about Warren G. Harding. Bolen recalls the quote this way; "What Warren G. Harding was guilty of was believing and trusting in his friends. You know, that's not a bad thing to have on your tombstone."
Keywords:
POLITICS PROFILE
by CNB