Editor, Gazette-Journal:

“Leadership is a two-way street; Loyalty up and loyalty down.” That’s a quote credited to Admiral Grace Hopper, but every effective leader I had the privilege of meeting or serving in the Navy had it ingrained in their DNA. Sid Foster is one of the few non-military leaders I served with who embodies that trait.

The rest of the quote explains how it works: “Respect your superiors; take care of your crew.” Sid’s respect for the office of sheriff has never wavered. His crew is his team and no one knows better than Sid that there is, in fact, no “I” in team. Sid doesn’t manage, he leads the deputies who do the constant work of protecting and serving the people of this county. Being a non-degreed person myself, the fact that someone else was educated in an institution of learning doesn’t impress me as much as someone who has learned by doing.

So, if push came to shove and I believed that perhaps my life was endangered, I want Sid to be there for me. I trust him to respond, to bring whatever force is necessary ASAP. Investigators are good to have after the fact, but not during a crisis.

Someone who apparently doesn’t know Sid very well made the comment that nothing Sid has done for the community, not his volunteer time on the rescue squad, not his time coaching Little League, not his time with the fire department, and certainly not his tenure as a deputy, mattered in this election. I beg to differ!

Everything Sid Foster has done in his 54 years has demonstrated the qualities I look for in a leader. Sid’s heart is his badge of honor. I am proud to endorse Lt. Albert “Sid” Foster for Mathews County’s next sheriff.

Charlotte Crist
MCSO Dispatcher, 2004-2007
Mathews, Va.