Runoff pits Anderson, Waybourn for Tarrant County sheriff

Incumbent Dee Anderson and his challenger, Bill Waybourn, have laid out different visions for the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Department.

On Tuesday, voters go to the polls again to decide which one will head to the November election. No Democrats are running but Max Koch III of Mansfield is running as a Libertarian candidate.

Even though Waybourn, the former Dalworthington Gardens police chief, trailed Anderson by more than 13,000 votes in the March 1 primary, he has said the runoff favors him. The smaller turnout should lead to more educated voters, Waybourn said.

“We believe it will be the people who truly care about sheriff,” Waybourn said Monday. “It won’t be about name recognition this time.”

Anderson, who has been sheriff since 2001, said he is encouraged by the number of voters who have already cast ballots.

“The numbers are strong,” Anderson said. “I think the higher turnout is good for us. You worry that only people who have a very, very vested interest will turn out. I think this shows people are interested in the sheriff’s race and certainly paying enough attention to come out and vote.”

In early voting, 18,785 cast ballots in the GOP primary with 12,668 voting in person and 6,117 voting by mail. On the Democratic side, where there is only runoff for railroad commissioner, there were 4,972 early votes with 1,204 voting in person and 3,768 mail-in ballots.

The sheriff’s race has been marked by a contrast in styles.

Anderson, 60, has said there’s no need for a change. The sheriff’s attention should be focused on operating the jail, which has passed 15 consecutive annual state jail inspections, managing more than 1,600 employees and overseeing an annual budget of $120 million.

Waybourn, 56, who was Dalworthington Gardens police chief for 31 years, has said morale in the Sheriff’s Department is the lowest in years. He points to his endorsements from the Tarrant County Law Enforcement Association, the Fort Worth Police Officers Association and the Arlington Police Association as signs of Anderson’s waning support.

“The morale issue has been a big one with deputies coming out to man our phone banks and getting their neighbors to vote,” Waybourn said.

Waybourn also has Taya Kyle, the widow of American Sniper Chris Kyle, as his campaign treasurer.

Anderson has insisted the issue is baseless and said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley have been making calls for him.

“You don’t have a festering morale issue,” Anderson said this month. “What you’ve got is a small group of people that don’t represent the majority of Sheriff’s Department employees.”

In February, the Star-Telegram wrote about a 2013 accidental shooting involving Waybourn at a Tarrant County gun range.

Waybourn injured his hand at the shooting range in June 2013 while he was teaching a concealed handgun license class to an Arlington doctor.

Dalworthington Gardens’ city attorney determined he was on the job when the shooting occurred and was qualified for workers’ compensation.

There was an understanding between the City Council and Waybourn that allowed him to teach the classes, the city attorney said. Waybourn had said Anderson’s campaign turned it into an issue, which the sheriff has denied.

Anderson has been accused of grandstanding as the case of “affluenza teen” Ethan Couch unfolded. The attorney for Ethan Couch’s mother, Tonya Couch, criticized Anderson’s high profile during her return to Fort Worth after fleeing to Mexico with her son.

In a February televised debate at the Star-Telegram’s media partner, WFAA, Anderson said that Couch “represents the worst case I’ve had in the 15 years as sheriff. I’m going to be upfront, very vocal. I’m speaking for those families and those four victims.”

Waybourn has raised more campaign contributions than Anderson.

In the latest filing on May 16, Waybourn had contributions totaling $112,938 and had spent $63,286. He had $70,235 cash on hand. Waybourn’s contributions included $19,000 from Sargent Investments Llc. of Grand Prairie, $10,000 from John McHale of Austin, $6,730 from SEMG Llc. of Houston, $6,500 from James and Charla Moore of Arlington, and $5,000 each from Empower Texans and Stephen Lockwood of Mansfield.

Anderson had contributions totaling $27,037 and had spent $54,757. He had $30,045 cash on hand. Anderson’s largest contributions were $5,000 each from Robert Austin of Palmer, and Morgan Langley of Manhattan Beach, Calif., $2,500 from Joshua Graham of Fort Worth and $2,000 from the Blake Taylor-Keefe Group of St. Louis.

There are several other GOP runoffs on Tuesday.

The Democratic ballot has only the runoff for railroad commissioner between Grady Yarbrough and Cody Garrett.

Other races on the GOP ballot include:

▪  348th District Court between Brooke Allen and Mike Wallach.

▪  Railroad Commission between Wayne Christian and Gary Gates.

▪  Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2 between Ray Wheless and Mary Lou Keel.

▪  Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5 between Brent Webster and Scott Walker.

▪  2nd Court of Appeals Place 3 between Dabney Bassel and Elizabeth Kerr.

▪  Precinct Chair 3390 between Chuck Mogged and Tim Kenney.

▪  Precinct Chair 4044 between Tim Fox and Lynne Milford.

This story was originally published May 23, 2016 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Runoff pits Anderson, Waybourn for Tarrant County sheriff."