Sheriff Michelle B. Mitchell has summarily barred the new sheriff-elect, C. T. Woody, from Richmond’s jail -- a facility she will continue to oversee for the rest of her third four-year term in office. Woody, who defeated Mitchell in the citywide election last month, takes over Jan. 1, 2006.The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports Mitchell has also locked out the panel Mayor Doug Wilder appointed to study the dilapidated jail’s operation and needs. Wilder’s panel was created in June after faulty locks in the 40-year-old jailhouse enabled an inmate to leave his cell, enter another inmate’s cell and beat him to death.
During the acrimonious campaign season the Mitchell and Woody camps made news with their hardnosed tactics. Then in October, when word got out the State Board of Elections web site had Mitchell’s email address listed as MissBuns@aol.com, she became a celebrity on Dave Barry’s blog. For her part, Mitchell had no comment.
Here’s a heads-up to the grocery store national tabloids -- Mitchell is not only good copy, she’s a knockout in the looks department (the photo above from the Virginia Sheriffs web site really doesn't do her justice). In a fancy dress at a cocktail party, believe me, she steals the show.
I don’t claim to know what is going on here, but for some reason a 42-year-old woman who appeared to have bright future seems to be burning her bridges with reckless abandon. So, is Miss Buns just a sore loser? Or, does Mitchell have some good, or bad, reasons for not wanting certain people with legitimate business at the jail to come inside? Or, what?
Once again, she won’t say. No comment.
Meanwhile, Mitchell's loyal top deputy, Lt. Col. Alan E. Roehm, says there will be "no transition."
How long will Mayor Wilder put up with this situation? Stay tuned, this story is bound to get much more interesting soon.
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