CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Bradley County Sheriff Tim Gobble on Thursday supported one of his captains, Steve Lawson, Thursday who is seeking the sheriff’s job against another department captain, Jim Ruth.
In a campaign advertisement Wednesday, Capt. Ruth, the Republican candidate, said Mr. Lawson, the Democrat candidate, has been an “ineffective and inept leader’’ who “replaced an effective and productive Drug Enforcement Unit at the Sheriff’s Office with one that has so far been ineffective and not very productive.’’
As proof, Mr. Ruth cited a declining drug fund balance in the department’s budget.
Mr. Gobble said he has tried to refrain from public comments or endorsements but it was he who replaced the drug unit leadership in 2006. The drug fund has been used for many needed purchases, Mr. Gobble said. In addition, he said, the fund depends on many variables beyond the drug unit’s control.
“Steve Lawson and John Stone have done an excellent job managing the BCSO Drug Unit,’’ Mr. Gobble said in a press statement. “The real record proves it. . . To question their effectiveness using one statistic in a political ad is unjustified.’’
Mr. Ruth agreed during a political forum Thursday that Mr. Lawson, as leader of the Criminal Investigations Division, does not make drug fund decisions. But he stood by his charge that the unit has been ineffective.
See Friday’s Times Free Press for complete coverage.
Randall Higgins covers news in Cleveland, Tenn., for the Times Free Press. He started work with the Chattanooga Times in 1977 and joined the staff of the Chattanooga Times Free Press when the Free Press and Times merged in 1999. Randall has covered Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia and Alabama. He now covers Cleveland and Bradley County and the neighboring region. Randall is a Cleveland native. He has bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Technological University. His awards ...
Tim Gobble is a good man who has sound judgement in these matters and knows what he's talking about.
Hey Gobble,Gobble,Gobble.......keep up the good work Tim.
FM_33
The old cronie that you know from around the way in the 37401 beltway.
Gobble is a democrat. What would you expect a democrat to say when their fellow democrat is in trouble. Look at Gobble's twitter history. Pro Obama and anti tea party and anti republican.
I would expect someone to call Tim Gobble a name for doing the right thing. It is always a good tactic to call someone a name when they say something you don't like no matter how truthful. The fact is that Tim Gobble had the courage to do and say the right thing even though he is in the middle of a REPUBLICAN Congressional race... Thanks Tim for showing you are an honest man! The fact is Ruth messed up and got his facts very wrong or either did it on purpose. But somehow some people will try to call Gobble a name for pointing it out. But, that's politics huh?
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