Robbinsville – About 75 people showed up to watch a candidate forum on April 23, featuring Republican candidates for Graham County Sheriff, Graham County Board of Commissioners and Graham County Board of Education.
The forum, sponsored by The Graham Star, focused on contested major offices in the May 17 primary.
Democrats and independents running for those offices are uncontested and will face winners of the Republican primary in the November general election.
Fourteen candidates appeared at the forum, which was held at the Graham County Courthouse.
In last week’s edition of The Graham Star, candidates for commissioner and school board member were featured.
Today, candidates for sheriff are featured. Here are summaries from each candidate who participated:
* Leon Allen
Leon Allen has worked more than 20 years in emergency medical services and additional time as a police officer in Bryson City, where he is still a reserve officer.
His training includes mental health, suicide prevention, drug interdiction and more. He said he has good relations with
surround counties and state agencies.
He described himself as genuine and has been a public servant since he was 16.
“I just have the desire to make change … a truly positive change,” he said.
He plans to combat drug abuse through mental health care, counseling and addiction prevention in addition to enforcement, and will work to get resources to pay for it all.
“If you get caught with narcotics ore are selling, you will be arrested,” he said. “If you choose to stop abusing drugs, we’re going to have the resources.”
Allen said he is not big on public speaking and prefers to listen. He said he has his game plan ready to launch on his first day in office with a three-step plan that includes aggressive enforcement, rehabilitation, and addiction prevention.
“All the crime, domestic violence, child abuse, it all starts with your drug addiction and mental health,” he said.
Drug problems come to this county not just from neighboring counties, but neighboring states, he said.
* Dennis Crisp
Dennis Crisp has been in law enforcement for 30 years, including 24 spent as a school resources officer at Robbinsville High School, where he also coached sports.
He helped author the first critical incident plan for Graham County Schools. He has held every job from jail guard to chief deputy.
“Experience makes a difference,” he said. “I’ve worked hard to try to keep kids safe.”
He said he has around 4,000 hours in professional law enforcement training. His focus in on compassion and respect, and will keep his door open to the public if he is elected.
The department has plenty of officers, he said, so he plans to make sure the department works efficiently and does not waste taxpayer funding. “You will see a huge difference,” he said.
“I want to make our sheriff’s office the best sheriff’s office in the state,” he said, and plans to “put drug dealers in jail and keep them there.”
* Jerry Crisp
Jerry Crisp, who was appointed sheriff to fill a vacancy, has spent 37 years in law enforcement in every position. He said his goal is to “protect and serve the people of Graham County in the best way possible.”
He said he has excellent working relationships with all levels of the court system, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and all sheriffs in surrounding counties.
The top issue is drug enforcement, and said drugs are “pouring across the Southern border” such that it is cheaper to buy and sell imported illegal drugs than it is to make them locally.
Law enforcement needs to use every available took, including enforcement, education, and treatment, to have an impact on drug abuse.
Programs such as Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and even offering GED courses in jail are tools he has used.
He described the first day in office as sheriff as being swamped with meetings of command staff, staff, county departments, prosecutors, and neighboring sheriffs.
“The first week was pretty hectic,” he said.
Being sheriff is an around-the-clock job, he said. It also requires a sheriff capable of keeping on top of new laws affecting law enforcement.
“The laws are changing all the time and you have to stay on top of it,” he said.
As sheriff, he has obtained more than $240,000 in grants to pay for body and dashboard cameras to improve accountability and integrity among his officers and to build better cases for prosecutors.
There is around $8 million in the bank to pay for a new justice center, but cost for the center is at $16 million and rising.
For animal control, he said his officers avoid enforcement unless it becomes a public safety issue and only if ordinances are on the books.
Privatization of mental health care has had detrimental effects, he said. People with mental health issues receive necessary treatment until their insurance runs out, or for those lacking insurance, after 24 hours have passed.
* Kevin Guffey
Kevin Guffey has children and grandchildren, and protecting them and other children from drug abuse is his primary objective.
He said Graham County is losing about one person a month to drug overdoses, and “If I can save one child’s life, it’s worth it.”
“I promise to do everything in my power to stop drugs and bring respect back to the Sheriff’s Office,” he said.
He said there is a disconnect between law enforcement and the community and promises to bridge that gap by requiring deputies to interact positively with citizens and not just when responding to calls for service.
“The only time we see them is if something bad happens,” he said.
Building a criminal justice center with expanded jail is crucial to the county, which faces jail overcrowding.
“It’s a revolving door,” he said of the jail. “They arrest them, they turn them out. I don’t know if there’s an answer to that, but I’m going to find out if I’m elected.”
Guffey said he has spoken with state and federal lawmakers (and candidates for state and federal offices) who have told him that funding is available with effective grant applications.
He said the county does not need more formalized animal control.
In closing, he said he would be a “constitutional sheriff” and would not enforce any law that runs counter to the Constitution.
* Chase Lancaster
Chase Lancaster moved to Graham County in 2018 to help his mother after his father died. Before that, he spent four years in the Army.
During his time in Graham County, he has “seen things that didn’t feel right” with local law enforcement. He said there is corruption among sheriff’s office leadership and the court system, without offering any evidence.
“I’m not afraid to stand up for the little man,” he said. “I’m not going to put you in jail if you ask for help.”
On his first day as sheriff, he would “wean out the ones I don’t need and then I’m going to bring my new team on that will help me get drugs under control. … That first day may turn into a whole week.”
He said there would be a lot of change over a short period, and will result in better officers with more training. He will seek grants to pay for drug rehabilitation services and thinks that the new justice center can be built in two years and not five, as is the current plan. He will also make sure there are thorough crime investigations to ensure that innocent people are not put in jail.
For animal control, he said it would be expensive, but may be possible with grants.
In closing, he said, “The sheriff shouldn’t have a day off. “You can come to me and not be criticized and put into jail.”
* Louanne McMahan
Louanne McMahan has worked in several levels of law enforcement, including jail administrator and patrol deputy.
“If experience was the solution to Graham County’s problems, there would be no reason to have us being here right now,” she said. She said there is a need for ethics and leadership in the Graham County Sheriff’s Department.
Keeping children off the street and away from drugs is crucial, she said.
“If our kids don’t come to us with the little things, they’ll never come to us with the big things, and by the time it’s a big thing, it’s too late for most.”
She said she will “drop the hammer on the ones who don’t want to straighten up and do the right thing.” For those who don’t straighten up, she said she would work relentlessly to put them in jail and keep them there.
She said her first day in office would be “crazy hectic” but she will have a plan in place.
“We can’t waste time,” she said. For many young people getting into drugs, “it’s the first bad decision they made in their life — they shouldn’t die for that.”
She plans to restructure the Sheriff’s Department by reducing the number of supervisors and increasing the number of patrol deputies.
“We don’t need 10 supervisors when we just have 20 officers, sitting in the office Monday through Friday, 9-5, wearing a badge.”
“Small things matter,” she said. “When we do all the little things right, it adds up to big changes.”
* Russell Moody
Russell Moody previously served one term as Graham County sheriff, during which time his office was destroyed in an arson attack. He served in emergency medical services for 10 years before he was elected sheriff in 2007. He is presently self employed.
“Officers have to trust the sheriff and the sheriff has to trust the officers,” he said.
In addition to having his office damaged in a fire, someone delivered a grenade to him with his name on it.
His first day if elected would be spent reaching out to neighboring sheriffs and meeting his staff.
He said a new jail and justice center is important, “but the million dollar question is mental health. What do you do with these people? We’re going to have to figure out something. It’s a big problem.”
Law enforcement taking a more active roll in animal control is a low priority.
“Why are we talking about animal control when we have kids overdosing and people with mental health issues walking the streets?” he said.
Meanwhile, he said, “We all need to pray for our sheriff,” whoever that is. The sheriff faces long hours, stress, and time away from family.
“I’m nobody special,” he said. “It’s not about me. If I can save one kid from drugs … it’s worth it all.”