Editor, Gazette-Journal:

I have known Mike Bartley for a number of years and found him to be a man of integrity, who cares deeply about the Gloucester community. However, his decision to run as the Ware District representative to the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors was a mistake. The reason why is simple—his position in the sheriff’s office creates an inherent conflict of interest with the responsibilities of a county supervisor, who is charged with overseeing and funding that department.

According to the Oxford dictionary, a conflict of interest is “a situation in which a person is in a position to derive personal benefit from actions or decisions made in their official capacity.” As a county employee, any decisions Deputy Bartley makes to increase compensation or improve benefits will directly result in more money for him and his family.

Is he willing to tell his family, or his friends and co-workers at the sheriff’s office, that he is voting a...