Associated Press President Donald Trump, center, poses for a photos with Vice President Mike Pence, front left, and Bristol County, Mass., Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, front right, during an event with sheriffs in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018.

LETTER: Sheriff should resign if he wants to work on Trump’s campaign

Posted Nov 29, 2019

In response to David Ehrens’ letter to The Standard Times of Sunday November 24, 2019 and Betty Ussach’s letter to the S-T today, Wednesday, November 27, 2019 I say “right on” David Ehrens and Betty Ussach.

Thank you both for your letters to the Standard Times. It is really important to continue to point out how poorly Sheriff Hodgson manages our jail.

I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of our Sheriff. He has indeed neglected his primary job of running a decent house of correction and jail. Both Mr. Ehrens and Ms. Ussach suggest that the sheriff must, and I quote David Ehrens here, “focus on managing the jail, running rehabilitation programs, and showing up at his Faunce Corner office every day to faithfully serve the communities of Bristol County, Massachusetts.” Yes he should. But he hasn’t to date and if history is any indication, he won’t. That is what he was elected to do. But now that he has been appointed honorary chair of Trump’s Massachusetts re-election campaign, I have an alternative suggestion.

Sheriff Tom Hodgson should consider stepping down as sheriff of Bristol County, as it is very clear first, that he is unable to run a respectable house of correction and give inmates the rehabilitation they need to stay out of his jail in the future and become contributing members of society. In addition, it is apparent that his ideology mirrors that of the president. An ideology of racism, bigotry, hatred of immigrants — never mind that every person in this country, unless Native American, comes from immigrant stock including Sheriff Hodgson himself.

Bristol County and the jail would be far better off with a new, more tempered, empathetic sheriff.

And finally, I also wonder about Hodgson’s ability to run the jail and find time to be involved with the president’s re-election campaign here in Massachusetts. Having personally been involved in numerous election/re-election campaigns, I know that campaigning is very time consuming, requiring long hours and high energy; therefore being involved in Trump’s Massachusetts re-election campaign will take away from his full time job.

So how exactly will he be able to manage our jail? I would urge Sheriff Hodgson to resign, effective immediately.

Laurie Bullard

Westport Point

Editor’s Note: David Ehrens, Betty Ussach and Laurie Bullard are members of Bristol County for Correctional Justice, a local group of people and organizations. According to BCCJ’s website, the group is concerned about about the treatment of inmates in Sheriff Thomas Hodgson’s custody at Bristol County House of Correction and Ash Street Jail.