Meet the Walton County Sheriff Candidates
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Posted: 10:16 AM Oct 23, 2008
Last Updated: 10:59 AM Oct 23, 2008
Reporter: Alex Denis
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The race for Walton County Sheriff has been heated from the beginning.
During the primaries six
Republican candidates challenged incumbent Sheriff Ralph Johnson for his spot. DeFuniak Springs town marshal, Michael Adkinson, walked away with the nomination.
Democrat candidate and state trooper Danny Griffith ran unopposed.
Both Walton County sheriff candidates were born and raised in DeFuniak Springs. They say their hometown roots help them understand what the community needs from its sheriff.
Both agree that the new sheriff will be responsible for rebuilding relationships with the residents of Walton County, but they have different plans for the future of the department.
For 31 years Democrat candidate Danny Griffith has proudly called himself a
Florida Highway Patrol trooper. He says his commitment to law enforcement and to Walton County inspired him to run for sheriff.
Danny Griffith said, "I'm very dedicated to law enforcement and very dedicated to this community. I've been that way all my life here."
A family man, Griffith married his Walton High School sweetheart 34 years ago. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.
Griffith says if he becomes sheriff, the first thing on his agenda will be the budget.
"I would want to look at the finical department. What I would like to have is someone with at least an accounting degree or either a certified accountant to take care of the financial matters. I think we need to do that to restore the public's trust."
Griffith's campaign revolves around the idea of creating what he calls a transparent sheriff's department. He wants every resident in Walton County to know, as sheriff, their opinions matter to him.
"I would really like to see input from the citizens on other county agencies as well as employees at the department. Once we do that I think it will probably make for a very smooth department, a very good transition."
Griffith says the lessons he's learned throughout his long career set him apart from his opponent.
"It's what I call 31 years of life experience, dealing with people on a day to day basis. And that can be in good times and it's been in distressing times also. That's an invaluable experience that no one can get at any type of learning institution."
Republican candidate Michael Adkinson says the first love of his life is his wife and two daughters, but law enforcement is a close second.
Michael Adkinson said, "I'm a law man. That's what I do. I don't have another job. I've never had another job. This is all I've ever wanted to do."
Adkinson has a combined 10 years of management experience. Since 2005 he's served as the city marshal for the DeFuniak Springs Police Department.
"My staff and I have done a good job at the DeFuniak Springs PD of modernizing and bringing stuff up to speed. We've started the accreditation process. We've tried to look at the best practices to serve the citizens of the community to make sure they?re getting the level of service they deserve. That's the same approach we'll take at the sheriff's office."
Adkinson is confident in his plan for the sheriff's department. He says his agenda would start with the deputies, which would not including firing the entire staff.
"It is unheard of for a sheriff to come in and dismiss everyone in the agency, and we've certainly heard these types of rumors before. The deputies on the ground, the staff need to understand what's expected of them, so my first priority will be to restructure and reorganize and go in front of the deputies and say here is the way we want to do business."
Adkinson says as sheriff his first commitment would be to the people of Walton County.
"You should feel like you can walk in the front door of the sheriff's office and be able to see the sheriff. We've gotten to the point in this county that that's something special. Somehow, doing your job and being accountable of the people has become some tremendous attribute when really that's just the way you should do business."
To learn more about Michael Adkinson, log onto his website at
www.mikeadkinsonjr.com.
To learn more about Danny Griffith, e-mail him at
griffithforsheriff@gdsys.net.
wjhg.com
well someone has thought about letting people go!!!!!!