Opinion

Steve Ellis campaign photo, published by The Rock 92.7 (photo not reproduced here).

Well, that didn’t go the way Steve “Top Guns” Ellis planned.

Ellis wanted to be Vigo County sheriff. Derek Fell beat him by 7,827 votes. That’s not the kind of margin you can blame on a few missed handshakes or yard signs in the wrong places.

Fell got 17,750 votes, or 64.14%. Ellis got 9,923, or 35.86%. Those are the unofficial election-night figures. All 87 precincts had reported.

That’s an old-fashioned, Top Guns-style ass whooping, Steve.

Ellis certainly had a name people recognized. He owns Top Guns, sits on the County Council and has talked about his years as a reserve or special deputy, along with jail and dispatch experience. None of that is made up. But it isn’t the same résumé as spending years working full time in a sheriff’s department, which is what Fell brought to the race.

Ellis tried to make the case that his business and government experience were enough. Voters got to hear the pitch. Then they voted.

One retired senior we spoke with didn’t mince words

“That dumbass got on the council and his derangement has only grown. I hope this is the beginning of the end for him and he just goes away. But like a roach, he probably won’t.”

That’s one person’s opinion, and it’s a pretty salty one. Ellis still has every right to speak his mind or run for office again. But this particular race wasn’t close. Vigo County had a choice, and the numbers tell you exactly how it went.

“Top Guns” looked good on a campaign sign. It didn’t win him the sheriff’s badge.

Sources

Hoosier First: election returns · HI-99: Ellis interview · The Rock 92.7: Ellis candidacy

Opinion column. Vote totals are unofficial pending certification.