Editor, Gazette-Journal:

A recent meeting of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association included a candidate forum for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, with both parties’ candidates represented at the meeting. During the forum, Democrat gubernatorial candidate Ralph Northam implied that all the sheriffs in attendance were racists. As a result, the Association endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie.

The Virginia Sheriffs’ Association has been working to get a much-needed and deserved pay increase for sheriffs and deputies included in the state budget. When Governor McAuliffe heard of the Association’s endorsement of Gillespie, he personally informed the Association’s director that he would not include the pay raise in his budget proposal.

Local law enforcement officers protect the citizens of the counties and towns they serve, putting their lives at risk every shift they work. Their base salary is appallingly low for the work...