In a last minute effort to salvage his career, defeated candidate in the 2008 Orange County Sheriff’s race, Bill Armstrong, announced support for Democrat Jerry Demings for Orange County Sheriff.
According to Armstrong, “Crime has no political party and the stakes are too high in this race to be concerned with partisan politics”.
Armstrong, who was humiliated by Tegg in the August 26th primary has thrown his support to Demings, in an apparent attempt at building bridges with Demings in the event of a probable Demings victory.
“In my opinion Jerry Demings has the experience and the most viable plan to reduce violent crime here in Orange County. Jerry’s credentials are superior to that of his political opponent John Tegg” Armstrong said.
In what can only be construed as a sore loser response, Armstrong took a another swipe at his victorious opponent, Tegg when he said, “I decided not to endorse John Tegg for a number of reasons, primarily due to issues which question his integrity and credibility as a candidate. John has been campaigning for over 18 months in violation of federal law and continued to do so even after he was challenged by federal authorities. He only complied with the law after he was forced to resign as police chief or face federal prosecution. He has also possibly violated several state campaign laws regarding his use of police department resources and his official position as police chief in order to influence the outcome of an election.
The bad blood between Armstrong and Tegg goes back a very long time.
Then there is also the matter of a pending lawsuit which could disqualify him from the November ballot. I don’t think the voters of this county are ready to elect someone who has already made so many errors in judgment and defied the law” Armstrong stated.
John Tegg doesn’t appear to concerned however, as he has has the support of Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, the Police Benevolent Association and every other law enforcement agency in the state.
Armstrong is a thirty-four year law enforcement veteran and a former commander in the Sheriff’s Office.
Bill Armstrong is a sore loser to date. He will disengage immediately from any direct challenge against his being. To date, 4-17/2107, this still holds true.