We spoke with current Sheriff Sim Davidson and former Sheriff Chris Stevelson about why they are running and their goals.
TELFAIRE COUNTY, Ga. — Two men are running to become Telfair County's next sheriff: current Sheriff Sim Davidson and former Sheriff Chris Stephenson.
Mr. Davidson is currently in his first term as sheriff, and Mr. Steverson served as sheriff from 2013 to 2020.
Steverson said he has been a certified police officer for about 35 years, and his career has taken him overseas as a war crimes investigator and police liaison officer.
Davidson said he has been a certified peace officer for 32 years. He retired from working for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and began working for the Telfair County Sheriff's Office in 2018.
13WMAZ asked both candidates why they are running.
“I plan to run again to build on what I started here during my first term and continue to make Telfair County the best it can be,” Davidson said.
Stevenson said he is focused on the economy.
“I'm running to give the taxpayers some relief. We're in a very depressed economic situation in this region. We've lost some industries recently, so that's going to affect us a lot. Steve Burson said.
We also asked them what their biggest goal would be if they were elected.
“Building on what we're doing with a focus on mentoring young people. That's really important. Getting drugs off the streets, dangerous drugs, guns, weapons, things like that. and keeping our roads safe,” Davidson said.
Stevenson also said safety is the number one goal.
“I want to deal with crime as it happens, and I want to be effective in deterring crime in the community. I also manage prison operations, and currently we is paying twice what other counties in the region are paying to house their inmates,” Steve Burson said. He said.
We also asked if they planned to make any major changes if elected.
“Telfair County has a problem with dangerous dogs and wandering dogs. One of the things I would like to do is create an ordinance, a countywide ordinance, to address these,” Davidson said. said.
Stevenson said he wants to focus on relationships with the community.
“We're going back to community-oriented policing. I want them to be out in the community and make the community aware of who we are,” Steve Burson said.
Early voting closes Friday, May 17th, and primary election day is Tuesday, March 21st.
You can watch an expanded interview with the sheriff candidates here.