THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 25, 1994 TAG: 9406250243
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940625 LENGTH: MANTEO
Friday morning, just hours before the noon deadline, Dail filed a petition to run as an unaffiliated candidate for Dare County sheriff.
{REST} If elections supervisor Lynda Midgett can confirm 561 of the 731 signatures on Dail's petition, the 48-year-old Colington Harbour resident will run against 12-year incumbent Democratic Dare County Sheriff A.L. ``Bert'' Austin in the Nov. 8 election. No Republican candidates are running for sheriff.
``I'm running because I feel like I could be a good sheriff,'' said Dail, who has owned and operated a one-man private investigative firm since 1987.
``I had hung up my spurs, so to speak. But I got some encouragement to run and I still have that fire in my belly. I decided now's the time.''
A Portsmouth native who spent three years in the Navy, Dail moved to the Outer Banks in 1968 to become a Nags Head patrolman. He worked his way up through the beach town's police force, eventually becoming a lieutenant. In 1976, Dail was appointed Nags Head Police Chief.
The town's Board of Commissioners fired Dail eight years later.
``I was fired, basically, for running outside activities on the job,'' Dail said Friday.
``I was an investor in three other businesses at the time - Outer Banks Nautilus, a commercial fishing business and a security company. They didn't give me a chance to divest myself from those other interests before firing me. But I would have.''
Dail owned and operated the security company - Northeastern Protection Service Inc. - with Dare County School Board member Sam Twiford and Dare County Commissioner Samuel O. ``Sammy'' Smith from 1983 until 1987. In May, Smith ran for sheriff in the Democratic primary election. Smith lost to Hatteras Island native Austin by a 5-to-1 margin.
At Dare County's Democratic Party Convention in April, Dail supported Smith's bid for sheriff. ``Sammy and I have been friends for a long time,'' Dail said. ``I didn't file my petition as an unaffiliated candidate before the primary election because I didn't want to confuse the issue.''
Dail was a Democrat until January.
Then, he dropped out of the party specifically to run against Austin as an unaffiliated candidate.
``Bert's a dear friend of mine,'' Dail said of the current sheriff Friday. ``I just have some philosophical differences with him about the way to do the job.
``I'm a people person. I think community service from the sheriff's department is long overdue down here,'' Dail said. ``If I was elected, I'd be the most visible sheriff I could be. People from the fish houses to the Chamber of Commerce would know who their sheriff is.
``The deputies would not set the agenda. I would. Then, if the employees could not follow that - whatever happens is going to happen.''
Dare County's sheriff oversees almost 100 employees, runs the new Roanoke Island jail and provides law enforcement in all unincorporated areas, including Duck, Colington, Wanchese, Hatteras Island and the mainland. Sheriff's deputies also handle security in Dare County courtrooms. The term of office is four years. by CNB