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Marion County Director of Public Works

Born: 1962 (63 years old) 

Place of Birth: Truenorth, Marion County, Idaho 

Nationality: American

Years active: 1980s-present

Spouse: Marissa Winslow

Children: Layla Winslow, Alice Winslow, Cody Winslow

Federal watchlist status: Minor person of interest (long story)

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Summary

Frank Winslow is Marion County's secret weapon. A highly eccentric individual with an almost unbelievably wild background, Frank has a solid build, a grizzled moustache and is never seen without his signature cowboy hat.  

Armed with a dizzying knowledge of everything public works, from road paving to stormwater systems, banned permanently from all Vail ski resorts (long story) and noted in federal files as a "minor person of interest", Frank has led the Public Works department now for almost 21 years. Frank is known for his chaotic yet surprisingly effective solutions, his ongoing 15-year feud with Fire Chief Barnes, and his nonchalant approach to bureaucracy. A former US Army combat engineer and MCSO Vice Squad Detective to boot, Frank, equipped with his shotgun and run-down Public Works truck is ready for anything Marion County can possibly throw at him. 

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Early Life and Personal Life

Frank was born in the small Idaho town of Truenorth, Marion County in 1962. Frank's father was a local Marion County Sheriff's Deputy and his mother a school teacher. He was raised on the values of hard work, independence, and self reliance, and spent much of his youth in the county's vast wilderness, hiking, skiing and falling off things. He had an interest in engineering and woodworking from a young age, building things and tinkering with tools, machines and cars. He graduated Truenorth High School in 1980. 

Currently, Frank is married to Marissa Winslow (b. 1978), an artist, graphic designer and writer, and has three children from his previous marriage, Layla (b. 1985), Alice (b. 1988) and Cody (b. 1993). Frank lives in rural Marion County, in a house dubbed the 'Winslow Compound', featuring various security systems, guns, and his personal barn/workshop/man cave. He and Marissa hold an annual summer barbecue here for friends, family and co-workers.

Frank's hobbies heavily involve the outdoors, including shooting, boating, backcountry skiing and mountaineering (using old military surplus equipment). He, in spite of a silly rebellion against those he dubs 'the rich', enjoys the finer things in life, particularly Scotch whisky and fast cars. Other hobbies include maintaining the Public Works aging Kamaz truck fleet. Frank's musical interests include '80s pop, Glen Campbell, and, reportedly, rapper MF DOOM. 

Army Service

Upon graduating high school, Frank enlisted in the US Army in 1980 as a combat engineer. Frank's training included building fortifications, bridges, roads and bases, clearing land mines, and conducting demolition work. The position grew his interest in larger-scale infrastructure projects and helped him develop into a pragmatic, resourceful individual.

Frank's military service led to him seeing action in the US invasion of Grenada in 1983, Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989-1990 and in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq, 1991, and to this day Frank still jokes that "nothing prepared [him] for the heat" of Iraq. Frank was honourably discharged from the US Army as a Staff Sergeant in mid 1992 and returned to Marion County.

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Vice Squad Detective

Following his discharge from the military, Frank found it hard to find interesting and steady engineering work in the county, and, seeing an ad in a local paper, decided to join the Marion County Sheriff's Office as a deputy in late 1992. 

By 1994, Frank had become a detective, joining the office's vice squad, thanks to connections and knowledge of the local underground he gained as a patrol deputy and a strong ability to build rapport and talk to people. Frank quickly made a name for himself in the office as a no-nonsense investigator. This is a mysterious period of life Frank doesn't talk about much, except nods to the 'good old days on Vice' and shared winks with Sheriff's office old-timers old enough to remember his days as a deputy.

Frank's antics as a vice detective remain legendary amongst the office, with a no-holds barred approach to investigations, and a blatant disdain for red tape, departmental rules and even some laws. There is rumoured to be at least one MCSO bylaw created due to Frank's actions, and another rule forbidding MCSO detectives from wearing (specifically) Hawaiian shirts due to his disregard for uniform rules. Various operations included the 'Pineapple Express' drug bust, running various sting operations, bringing down a high-class prostitution ring, and being involved in more than a few gunfights. Frank's busts were something of a spectacle - once he commandeered a garbage truck to smash into a suspected drug den, and another time he used construction equipment to "fortify" a poorly-planned stakeout.

During his time as a vice detective, Frank obtained the Public Works Department's fleet of Russian Kamaz trucks. During a bust on a weapons ring, Frank found the fleet, destined for a defunct mining operation in South America after the fall of the Iron Curtain, and cut a deal with the ring's nervous accountant that the Sheriff's office would seize the vehicles and auction them off. Frank then engineered a deal between the office and the Public Works Department where they were the only bidder, buying the whole fleet of trucks for less than the cost of a new domestic truck. Public Works, now ran by Frank, still uses them to this day. 

Whether or not Frank was a bent cop is anyone's guess, with Frank likely having been involved in the underground and high-stakes situations just for fun more than out of a sense of duty or for personal gain. A file on Frank's exploits is still kept by the Internal Affairs Office to this day. He also is rumoured to have maintained some of his underground connections from the vice days. 

Public Works Career

In 1999 at the ripe old age of 36, Frank decided to increase his education after one too many controversies in the Sheriff's office in hopes of getting into an engineering position, and juggled his position with the Sheriff's Office part time with going to Idaho State University, graduating in 2003 with a Civil Engineering degree. He resigned from the MCSO and transferred over to the Public Works Department, as a Public Works engineer and foreman. 

Frank's early career saw him leading road maintenance crews on infrastructure projects around the county, and his unorthodox approach, continued disdain for red tape, and various run-ins with Code Enforcement saw him gain a notoriety in the Department. In 2005, following the departure the then-Director of the Department admist a scandal involving embezzled funds and an ill-advised deal with a road salt supplier, Frank threw his hat in the ring for the position.

Frank's interview was infamous. He walked into the room in his cowboy hat, work boots, carrying a binder of hastily scrawled notes and an unsolicited proposal to overhaul various Public Works operations. When asked about his leadership philosophy, Frank said "Get the job done, don't waste taxpayer money, and for the love of God stop buying trucks that break down every winter". His blunt interview style, relationship with some of the County Commissioners from his old days as a vice cop and his reputation as a 'guy who knows a guy' struck a chord with the Board, and he was appointed to the position soon after. 

Frank's first early years as Public Works Director was a time of upheaval and innovation. His commitment to keeping Public Works projects on-time and under-budget gained trust from the County Board (in spite of his continued unorthodox and chaotic behaviour), and his strong support of his workers gained a respect amongst unionised Public Works troopers. 

Over the years, under Frank's leadership, the county has seen an significant improvement in its infrastructure, including roads, bridges and public facilities, all without significant delays or cost overruns. Frank has himself engineered numerous improvements to the county's infrastructure, and still maintains the county's aging Kamaz truck fleet as though they were new. Frank, even now, still continues to work long hours and personally handle service calls himself. 

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Alleged IRA Gunrunning Incident

As a vice detective in the mid to late '90s, Frank got to know a lot of shady characters, some with international connections. It was during a particularly slow winter that Frank found himself in a shady bar in Boise chatting to an Irish national (who may or may not have been an actual provisional IRA member). What started as an innocent conversation soon became Frank being roped into helping smuggle arms out of the USA. Frank, being Frank, thought it would be a good laugh and an excuse for a roadtrip. 

Frank soon ended up driving a few trucks across state lines loaded with small arms, dodging federal agents, and getting involved in elaborate schemes and deals he barely understood. Frank didn't really care about the politics of the situation, he was just there for the craic, ridiculousness of the situation, and, of course, a little payday. As tensions in Ireland began to wind down leading up to the Good Friday Agreement, his services soon were no longer required and he supposedly used his illicit gains (reported to the IRS as gambling winnings) to pay for his university education. 

This incident may or may not have happened, may be entirely fabricated by Frank, and no criminal charges were ever proven. Rumour has it that Frank still maintains some of his gunrunning connections, and may have at least one container full of guns sitting in a Public Works yard, originally bound for Ireland over 20 years previously. 

Frank's name popped up in intelligence shared between the UK's MI5 and FBI in relation to his weapons ending up in the hands of provisional IRA members, and he may or may not be banned from entering the United Kingdom as a result. Frank reportedly keeps a framed entry rejection letter from the UK Home Office in his office, under a small plaque reading "Persona Non Grata (Honorary)". A joint ATF-FBI investigation between 2007-2010 suggested that Frank may have been involved in funnelling weapons through Marion County using Public Works operations as a cover. Frank denied any involvement, publicly ridiculed the investigation in a local press interview, and ultimately nothing substantial or criminal was ever proven. 

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Frank and the Feds

Frank Winslow is noted in federal files as a "minor person of interest", has a by now annual visit from the ATF and occasionally the FBI, which he calls his yearly catch-up, is audited almost every year by the IRS, and thinks he's at the heart of a massive federal conspiracy (in reality he's just a very minor thorn in the side of the feds). Despite this, nothing has ever been proven against Frank and he's (supposedly) never veered into real criminality. Frank has a very, very good lawyer on retainer. 

Frank has a well-documented love of firearms and the second amendment, going so far as to carry a shotgun in his public works truck (in violation of county policies), and even owns his very own possibly legal M249 SAW, which sits as pride of place on his desk. Due to this, and his alleged past as a gunrunner (long story), Frank has a now yearly visit from the ATF (his annual catchup) where he enjoys messing with the assembled agents, offering tours of the Public Works yard. Occasional visits are also received from the FBI, usually investigating some historical case where his name has popped up. Frank also had a run-in with the DHS on one occasion when he towed a surveillance van for allegedly violating county parking rules. 

Due to his past, his use of 'interpretive accounting' and expenses claims, including for a case of Scottish whisky for a county meeting, and 'business expenses' for his fleet of personal vehicles, Frank now almost year-on-year receives an audit from the IRS. He now yearly sends the agency (and his auditor) a Christmas card, captioned "Looking forward to next year's audit!". 

Frank and the Fire Chief (and his other many feuds)

In Marion County, it's no secret that the Public Works and Fire Departments don't get on. In fact, Frank and the Fire Chief, Harry Barnes, absolutely can't stand each other, famously never attend the same meetings and the two departments are never invited to the same functions to avoid incidents. The highly public feud between the two department heads has continued for decades now, much to the ire of local government and the bemusement of local press. 

The feud started during the 'Fire Hydrant-Gate' of 2009, when firefighters publicly blamed Public Works for a defective fire hydrant near county hall, discovered during a small bakery fire. Frank retorted that the Fire Department's overuse of the hydrants had led to the failure, and had the Public Works Department paint all of the fire hydrants neon green for 'visibility', and painted 'no parking zones' around the county's fire stations. the Fire Chief announced that the paint made the hydrants slippery and harder to open, causing delays, and firefighters retorted by 'accidentally' spraying nearby public works vehicles with their hoses. 

During a county charity cookoff between the two departments, the Fire Chief set the Public Works booth on fire, claiming it was for a 'demonstration gone wrong'. Public Works retorted by sabotaging the Fire Department's propane tanks, and would later cause an 'accidental' flooding incident during routine maintenance of water pipes, flooding the FD's basement. This led to another round of public insult-slinging between Winslow and Chief Barnes. The two famously never attend the same meetings, with Frank regularly bringing out his dreaded powerpoint presentations and tyrades about how the Fire Department are destroying the County's roads. It has also led to special procedures to ensure conflict mitigation between the Departments, including a designated 'feud buffer', the grumpiest firefighter on duty being assigned to monitor Public Works employees performing maintenance on FD property or vehicles, and annual team-building exercises, leading to various attempts at one-upmanship between the two departments. 

Frank also has ongoing feuds with the Code Enforcement Team (and particularly Code Enforcement Officer Ted Donovan), the wealthy local Hightower family (particularly the late Cornelius Hightower), SAC Alexander Knight from the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Tobacco, the Evocity Newspaper (and particularly local policing, crime and politics editor Alyce Locke), the Idaho State Police (particularly with Trooper Christopher Steel), Idaho State inspectors, Vail ski resorts, the Internal Revenue Service, and various local bureaucrats.