In Terrell County, sheriff’s candidate and former deputy Gene Shattles said Friday he could do a better job than four-term Sheriff John Bowens — both of enforcing the law, and of collecting unpaid taxes.
And in Worth County, 31-year-old sheriff’s candidate Mike Hill has rolled out glowing endorsements of his law enforcement abilities from area district attorneys and a federal prosecutor.
“Terrell County is one of the three counties in the State of Georgia in which the sheriff still collects the taxes,” said Shattles, a Dawson police lieutenant.
Shattles, 36, said Bowens hasn’t done very well collecting what in 1996 was a $900,000 balance of unpaid property taxes, when he could appoint Tax Commissioner Peggy Pritchard ex-officio sheriff and leave the job to her.
Shattles said that’s what he’d do if elected.
Bowens’ administrative assistant, Sondra Walker, has handled tax collections for the sheriff’s office since 1992, she said.
“This is the first year that this issue has come up,” Walker said. “During election time, this issue came up.”
Recently, the office has hired a private firm to collect the unpaid accounts, and a tax sale is scheduled for Aug. 5; it will be Terrell’s second, she said.
Walker also is one of three candidates seeking election today in Terrell’s Democratic primary for Clerk of Superior Court.
She said there already were unpaid taxes dating back to the 1970s when she and Bowens joined the office in 1992.
Shattles added he’ll treat everyone fairly as head of the only law enforcement agency in Sasser, Bronwood, Parrott and unincorporated Terrell County.
A grant could fund increased patrols in the small cities, where residents sometimes complain about a lack of patrols, he said.
Shattles and Bowens face a third challenger, Joey Harris, a security officer for a government contractor. Harris could not be reached for comment.
“I think I have a good chance,” Shattles said. “When it comes down to getting in there and mashing the button, I try to treat everybody like I would want to be treated. Sometimes it takes that one time for somebody to treat you right to turn you around.”
In Worth County, Hill is wooing voters with letters of appreciation from Dougherty District Attorney Ken Hodges, Pataula Circuit Assistant District Attorney Ron Smith, Dougherty Schools Assistant Police Chief Steve Mitchum and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Dasher.
Smith, a newer resident of Worth County, said he’d recently written a letter of reference for Hill.
“I never anticipated that it would be published,” he said, “but he did call and ask for permission, and I said ‘sure.’ I stand behind what it said.
“When he was with the GBI he was real diligent. He did much more than most officers do in terms of case law.
“I have decided I would vote for Mike,” he said.
Hill is one of two Worth County deputies currently on unpaid leave to run against their boss, six-term Sheriff Freddie Tompkins.
“I certainly don’t dislike Freddie,” Smith said. “It’s one of these things that sometimes you make your choices. He has the credentials to do it.”
Hodges said he was aware his letter would be used as an endorsement in a Sylvester newspaper.
Hill “did a good job on the two cases he had here,” Hodges said. “I’m certainly not saying Freddie’s not a good person.”
The letter cites Hill’s work as a GBI agent on a case involving an assault by a Dougherty police officer against his “mistress” and a case against a man accused of molesting his young step-daughters.
“Mike’s investigation resulted in a guilty plea by the offender which resulted in a sentence of 60 years,” Hodges wrote.
The deputy’s age is not a problem, he said.
“I was 30 when I ran,” Hodges said. “It depends on the person and depends on the job.”
Hill and Tompkins face a third challenger, Tommy Adams, in the Democratic primary today. There are no Republican candidates.
Tompkins questioned the endorsements.
“If I wanted to scratch up a bunch of letters, I could have filled up several pages myself,” he said. “I’ve got letters and commendations from governors; I’ve got one from the president at one time. I’ve got one from the former head of the FBI.
“Why isn’t he still working for the GBI?”
During his exit interview, Hill cited low pay and low morale when he resigned from the GBI in 2005 to work as a Worth Sheriff’s Deputy and pursue a Ph.D., according to a document obtained through an open records request.
Hill told The Herald recently it was a kidney stone he was passing while assigned to an area ravaged by Hurricane Katrina that prompted his resignation.
Tompkins said his opponents have the benefit of free time.
“I don’t have the advantage like the other two. See, they’re not working. They’ve got the advantage going door-to-door. I go around, see a few in each community and depend on them to help me,” he said.
“All I’m running on is my past.”