Sorry to hear that and to think he was just re-elected.

Finally! Now maybe we can get someone in there who will actually do the job! He was in no way fit in that condition.

No surprises here

A real loss to triple dippers everywhere.

A person passed away...Don't you have any class Wily?? Aparently you weren't raised with manners. If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything. He lived 84 years and served our community all of his adult life. May he rest in peace.

A person passes away & Washer & Willy Nilly show no compassion for his family!!!! How heartless.

I believe now his political party gets to appoint someone to be sheriff till the next election.

I'm so sorry to hear this. He's been with us so long. I know some of his family my sympathy is with them. Please this is not the time for people to make negative comments. There's a family hurting. Get a heart. Or keep your thoughts to yourself please of their not going to be nice during a loss like this to the whole Family,Police Dept. and our Community.<3

Well said girls! Maybe they'll grow a heart for Christmas.

bring in armstrong

we don't need to fill this position with anyone who is already collecting a retirement pension or a diability pension.. enough is enough !!

May he rest in peace,God bless his soul . Thank you for serving your county Sheriff Polhemus

RIP
You mean spirited people should be ashamed. What if it was your family member and someone said those hateful things.
Prayers are with his family.

You people reveling in the fact that this man died should be ashamed of yourselves. I too, did not think her should have run again, nor been re-elected, but to be glad in his death is disgusting.

Let me explain. I meant no disrespect to Mr. Polhemus. He spent many productive years with the Seaside Heights PD and then sheriff office.

All I was trying to point out was how his successor will be chosen.

No reason to respect corruption ......... Wake up !

Mary..how dare you not go over the top to show just how sorry you feel for this.

You people would all make great Nork koreans with your phony thoughts of respect for people you most likely never even met.

Let's face it, the local politicians and the machine should be in trouble for running a man they all knew was not going to make it to next year let alone the full term. It was all about keeping the slot under control. How dare a sick man like he even run and waste the peoples time and money electing him under such circumstances. is this why there was no debate or public apperances.

Disban them, make them security guards using retired cops.

A passing of a great man who gave his life to protecting the citizens of Ocean County and the courts.

Some of you people are sick individuals with your comments. The guy passes away and I'm sure his family is quite upset. I do not know the guy but RIP. some o you need to take a loom at yourself in a mirror and truly ask yourself what type of person you really are. Selfish self centered sure....you truly are society's problem!!!

Is sainthood suitable? The guy ripped off the taxpayers of this county for years and now the poor guys dead and we should worship him? What a bunch of hypocrites or just plain jackasses

I have sympathy for the sheriff’s family, but the man had health problems and should never have run for re-election. The department had been run by the under sheriffs for the past few years.

Who's worshiping ? Don't comment at all! Save everybody the BS. Go be miserable by your miserable self to start!!!

Okay, so who's going to be the new sheriff in town?? Even if the new sheriff isn't qualified, he is sure to belong the GOP..

John B. Taxpayer, I do not appreciate your comment about me, however, I will take it from whom it comes. Again, your political garbage is inappropriate in this forum. Bash the politicians on the Jack Kelly article, not a death announcement.

MY PRAYERS GO OUT THE FAMILY...........I GREW UP PLAYING WITH HIS GRANDCHILDREN.

Don't blame the Polhemus for running for sheriff and winning fair and square...
Blame the stupid voters...
1. It was well known the past 3-5 years of declining health..
2. It was well documented in several media how sheriff dept run by subordinates prior to this election.
Etc..
Yet... people still voted... why..
either they voted because party line vote...
or... just recognized the name from previous times and voted for him.. (ie. seniors)
or just uninformed.

My condolences and prayers to Polhemus family.

Some people are just political low lifes. This was a man who dedicated his life to Ocean county and ran a successful election . Whether or not you voted for him this is not the ime nor place to be so disrespectful.. I personally knew him and his family and truly respect this man more than anyone. If you did not like him keep it to yourself. I was always taught if you have nothing nice to say then dont say it at all. Some people need to learn that lesson that most kids are taught just sad that as adults they do not know any better and will never grow up. RIP to a great man you will be missed

My father went to HS with him, I knew him on a first name basis and could call him anytime. I did think he was too old for another term this time. The left wing loons that post on this page are nothing more than a bunch of frustrated demo-rats !!!

Lets see if he runs again, and wins. Just sayin.

why should an 85 year old man be running for anything, let someone young who needs the job take over. Why there arent term limits on freeholders and the rest of them is amazing. They just keep on going and going , only way to get them out of office is if they die.

OMG! This is basically an Obituary. It's after the fact of him being elected. That's over. Done in the past. Truly....how do any of you posting anything but RIP live with yourselves. Sick people. This is NOT the time to debate. A man that has served and protected the community for years has passed away. I really would like to apologize to the family that has to read this for your stupid comments. How hurtful!!!! RIP to a great man

Its a big republican joke dont give anyone else a chance. Just keep on getting elected forever like a dictor.

@chief wahoo...You never seem to have anything good to say about anything..Your just a grumpy old bat..Someone dies and you show no compassion or respect...GOD HELP YOU. When you die...Its going to be a hot lonely place...

It's sad he died, but he never should've run in the last election. He was not fit for office. Now our next problem is Chris Christie will appoint whomever George Gilmore tells him to. I smell a Mastronardy on the horizon.

Rip peace! Condelences to his family. How insetive and inappropriate comments at a time of loss if you can't say something nice don't say anything/(

I used to have a few beers with Bill in Seaside Heights back in the late 70's. Was a really cool guy back then. Rest in peace Bill.
I was however against him running for the office in November due to his age.

Noel
I cannot believe the southern mentality of people who live down here. It is so embarrassing. Ass h---- Get a grip all of you who grew up here are nuts.!!!!!

Winnie Alphonse, Tombstone, AZ
I learned of the passing of Sheriff Polhemus via a long distance phone call today. He was a man that I held personally in high regard. It deeply saddens me to read some of the comments left by wanna-be sheriffs or maybe they are just sore losers and followers of same. Regardless, in my opinion, it is a sad day to have lost such a dedicated and sincere man. My heart goes out to his family and everyone who respected him. It is an even sadder day that some people are using this forum to taunt his memory and harass the grief of his family. And i might add, ashamed to post your actual given names. PS there is no need to respond to my comment, I do not have the stomach to come back to this page. My prayer tonight is that you let the family grieve in peace. Amen.

Older than Moses and barely made it to the election. I am sure that someone has been handpicked to replace him as Sheriff before Polhemus took his last breath. He gave many years as Sheriff and whether you liked him or not, he really should not have run again.

While I'm sure the family and friends of Sheriff Polhemus are saddened at his passing, the reality is that he was 84 years old and in declining health. He had no business running again for sheriff at that age. Was he on the job running the department during Sandy? Most likely not -- his health prevented him from giving 100% to his job during that crisis. But that really doesn't matter to the Republican hierarchy -- he was just a warm body to keep the post for as long as his heart kept beating.

And as for who is going to replace him? Well who knows -- maybe Jon Stewart introduced him at the 12-12-12 concert last Wednesday night?

MY condolenses to the family...He should have retired years ago & spent it with his family .He was getting a good pension,He did not have to work..Lets be frank, do anyone commenting on this page is going to work to his age & the position he was in. I dont think so .There is mandatory retirement for law enforcement. except the sheriff his mind was going ,,,This nothing but political to have him elected ,He had someone driving him around & someone else making decisions in day to day operations...So Jack kelley will probably take the reins with along with the other positions he has....

The Patch should be admonished for allowing these nasty comments from people who seem to enjoy the news of this man's passing. What's your reason? As for me, I just write off as typical dem behavior. This is what the dems in NJ stand for. How else can you explain Camden and Newark?

Cyber bullies go pound salt. Most people have Nothing better to do than bad mouth others on the patch thinking theyd do a better job. Meet them out in public and you can hear a cricket fart with there lack of opinion. RIP POLHEMUS have some decency. Media and social networking sites is what's wrong with this society.

To Sandra - While I agree with you, his running for office time and time again was enable by we the people, because we kept voting for him. I never heard so many people say/post that about a person that should not be running for office. Yet, he was re-elected (again). This did not make him a bad person. The problem WAS NOT him, IT IS us. Prayers to him and his family

RIP Sheriff. Thank you for serving and dedicating your life to serving the public. Your accomplishments speak volumes. You are a fine example of a man, and may your family be blessed during these trying times. Please ignore all the insensitive people on this post. He was a good man, and will be missed.

As others have said, if you can't say something nice, don't say anything. Leave the political BS aside as far as this article is concerned.

My condolences to the Polhemus family.

To those complaining that the Sheriff ran at 84 yrs old, did it ever occur to you that his election is a reflection on those who ran against him? Did Obama win because he did such a great job or ran against a weak opponent? Not long ago, John Ashcroft ran for the US Senate in Missouri and was defeated by a man who had died in a plane crash BEFORE the election. Take the hint. This was people's opinion of the also-rans!

Rip Bill The best person for the job. Kind honest man kept ocean county crime rate as one of the lowest in the state.

Sincere Condolences to the entire Polhemus family. You will all be in my prayers.

Rest in peace Bill. You will go down as being on of the best people to serve ocean county. Thanks for keeping Ocean county safe in its highest growth years.

Met him several years back when he was still in good health. Very pleasant man ,easy to talk to. I did not vote for him lately, thought he was not really able to do the job. This is not time or place, however, out of respect for his family to be besmirching his memory. It's a lowlife thing to do.

As many have stated if you don't have anything nice to say than don't say anything at all, so at this point I will take their advice and say nothing at all.....

Nice guy or not he had a duty and an obligation to step down.

How many days did he spend in the office, how much did he do on a daily basis. He was in fact being paid let us not forget.

Speaking of days in the office, what about someone who has 2 week, 4 million dollar Christmas vacations in Hawaii?

I feel bad for his family as I would for anyone who lost a loved one. I'm sure in his personal life he was loved. My political views will be voiced on another thread that will sure to follow at some point when it is more appropriate. I should note that I have seen many threads after articles of people dying that were much worse than what I have read here but that doesn't mean that it is right or that it should continue. I have said for a very long time that when it comes to posting articles of someone who passed that comments should not be allowed. EVERY SINGLE time people write horrible hatred filled things even if they have no clue as to the facts. Examples are: the story of the kids whose car ran into the elementary school and they all died. People made assumptions and said things that were nauseating and by the way turned out not to be true. Same thing when the boy named Ryan died days after graduation from Central. They should stop allowing posts for stories like this. The political stories will follow and people can post on them.

RIP Bill. This outcome was foreseen by the party bosses who WANTED him to run yet again ... ( at 84 and in poor health ) so an appointment could be made by those in charge along there party lines....and as usual..it worked..as it always does by the OC ..GOP.....blind leading the blind to the slaughter house ..so the triple dippers WIN !!!

Peace be with you!