Sheriff Jeff Johnson

DAWSON COUNTY, Ga. — Challengers Jeff Perry and Marcus Sewell wasted little time attacking what they perceive to be Sheriff Jeff Johnson’s poor budget management and wasteful spending during his first term in office when the Republican Party held the first candidate forum of the political season Monday.

In his first year in office, Johnson sued the Board of Commissioners who, he claimed, failed to provide an adequate budget for him to perform his duties adequately. The lawsuit, which cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars, failed.

Perry, a veteran parole officer with 30 years’ experience in law enforcement, did not take direct aim at Johnson, but clearly his remarks referred to the sheriff.

Jeff Perry

“When times are bad you have to look at how you can cut,” he said. “Sometimes you might be faced with furloughs, layoffs. You have to manage that and be able to handle that budget. The difference in my money and your money is I can blow my money. But if I’m dealing with taxpayer money, I have to be accountable. If we’re going to run on Republican ideology of less government, smaller government and less taxes, we’ve got to start with the intergovernmental agencies like the sheriff’s office and road department. We can’t keep raising funds.”

Sewell, is a Captain and Commander of Investigations in the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office said Dawson County taxpayers are not getting the level of service they deserve from the Sheriff’s Office.

He pointed out that the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office budget is only $5.8 million to serve 32,000 residents the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office budget is $9.8 million to serve a much smaller population. “That is a $3.4 million difference,” he said. “So where is that money going?

Johnson bristled at the comparison to Lumpkin County. “I’m not worried about Lumpkin County,” he said. “I’m worried about Dawson County. You are my priority.”

Sewell said he would cut spending by eliminating the purchasing manager and human resources position in the sheriff’s office. The Board of Commissioners has offered to provide those services to the sheriff at no cost but he has declined.

“Over the last three years, we have seen the sheriff spend a lot of money on things that do not benefit us,” Sewell said “I would take the money the sheriff spends on toys and put that into the deputies’ pockets.”

Perry said he would offer his deputies an educational incentive. “That gives you a better-trained and better-educated officer,” he said.

Asked about the most important challenges the sheriff’s office will face in the future, Perry said the growth in population and how to increase the number of patrol officers on the street.

“One thing I want to do is have an auxiliary police force made up of volunteers in the community,” he said. “We send you to training. You work side-by-side with the police officer or deputy and wear the same uniform. What that does is it puts more people on the street at no cost to taxpayers except for the training.”

He also suggested creating a promotion board within the sheriff’s office. “When you run a company and have somebody that has been working with you a long time and has worked hard suddenly you have a promotion come up and they have no chance because you brought in somebody from the outside. at’s going to affect morale. I would propose we have the promotion board fill those positions from within.”

Johnson a veteran of 30 years of law enforcement shrugged off the attacks, calling it “political rhetoric.”

Johnson declared his first three years in office a success. “It obvious we’ve achieved success,” he said. “After three years, we’re enjoying the best retention rate and best recruitment we have seen in years.”

Asked how the sheriff’s office would work together with other county entities like the Board of Commissioners, Johnson said. “Will there be friction? Sure there will be friction. But at the end of the day, we will continue to discuss. We will continue to provide facts and figures to show we have a county in need.”

In closing, Johnson said, “Obviously my opponents don’t have a record to run on. They haven’t been your sheriff. It’s been my honor and privilege to be your sheriff. I’m proud of what we have been able to achieve and accomplish.”

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