Current Sheriff Calvin Hayden’s controversial election investigation dominated a public forum Tuesday night between Hayden and his Republican primary challenger, former Undersheriff Doug Bedford.
The event, hosted by the Johnson County Post, drew roughly 100 people to the community room at Central Resource Library in Overland Park.
The candidates sparred frequently — at times, in personal terms — over not only local elections and Hayden’s investigation (which in nearly three years has yielded no criminal charges) but also the sheriff’s department’s budget, a countywide drug task force and Hayden’s interactions with the county commission.
Who are the candidates?
- Incumbent Sheriff Calvin Hayden, who is running for his third term
- Former Undersheriff Doug Bedford, who worked for the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office from 1997 to 2021
How to watch the Post’s forum
The Post livestreamed Tuesday’s event on our Facebook page, and a recording of the forum is embedded below.
Below the embedded video are the questions each candidate answered during the forum Tuesday evening.
Timestamps are included in bold at the end of each question to help you navigate through the forum video if you’d like to jump around.
Questions and timestamps
- Opening statements [4:45]
- What will be your biggest priorities as Sheriff if elected or re-elected in November? [7:10]
- The now-paused investigation into local election procedures. [11:00]
- For Bedford: Does he think that Sheriff Hayden should have invested as much time and as many resources as he did on the investigation? If elected, will he continue this investigation?
- For Hayden: Why make the decision to pause this investigation now? And can you say now how much your office has spent on this endeavor?
Doug Bedford. Photo credit Kylie Graham.
- Do you believe in the integrity of Johnson County elections? Based on your feelings, will you accept the results of the Aug. 6 primary? [16:20]
- If elected, will you release the exact dollar amounts of how much this investigation has cost the county’s taxpayers? [18:45]
- Do you believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump? [21:50]
- Several readers say they want to know what your plans are to adequately staff the sheriff’s department and pay sheriff’s office employees competitive salaries? [28:20]
- Do you feel the sheriff’s office’s current level of spending [set to be about $120 million in 2025] is appropriate? What, if any, areas of the budget do you think could be cut? [33:55]
Sheriff Calvin Hayden. Photo credit Kylie Graham. - To you, what is the number one public safety issue in Johnson County? [40:36]
- What is your philosophy about working with the county commission? Can you work with this county commission? [43:17]
- Are you or will you be a part of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association? And what does being a “constitutional sheriff” mean to you? [45:48]
- Will you prioritize buying American-made and/or Johnson County-based products and businesses when purchasing for your department? [48:45]
- Closing statements [50:05]
