East Texas

By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer

The lone challenge to the incumbent for the position of Smith County Sheriff, Andy Dunklin, says it is time for a change in leadership and that means a more hands-on approach to meet the needs of citizens.

Dunklin faces incumbent Sheriff J.B. Smith in the March 4 Republican primary. Because no Democrat filed for the position, the winner of the primary will take office on Jan. 1, 2009 for a four-year term.

Andy Dunklin, 49 and a Flint resident, said if elected he would run the department and not count on others to do a job he feels the person elected should be doing. Dunklin has worked in law enforcement in the Texas Department of Public Safety and Mineola and Whitehouse police departments. He also worked for Trinity Mother Frances as a director of security, but lately Dunklin said he has been running his own business called Pressure Clean of Tyler.

He is married and is a graduate of Chapel Hill High School and has 60 hours of classes at Tyler Junior College and more than 3,000 continuing education classes in law enforcement.

"The reason I'm running this time is the same reason I ran last time: I believe the administration of the sheriff's office is the problem. I don't see the problems as the people who work for the sheriff's office ... there are hundreds and hundreds of fine individuals who work there," Dunklin said.

Picking up on a comment his opponent Smith said at a debate Thursday night, Dunklin declared he would be a "hands-on" sheriff.

Smith told an audience Thursday night his employees count on him the most during election time and Dunklin said he believes this means the sheriff collects a salary and nothing more.

"When the sheriff says he turns over the operations of his department to his employees, I believe you are electing me to run the department," Dunklin said. "The citizens of Smith County pay the sheriff $75,000 to run the office, and I believe he needs to be more hands-on."

Dunklin said he sees the biggest problem facing the sheriff's office being the need for a new jail, but he disagrees with previous plans saying a more conservative jail plan is needed.

"We need a jail. But we don't need a jail that resembles an office building. We need a facility that maybe resembles the pod system. They're ugly. They're not built downtown, they are built out in the back 40," he said.

Dunklin said he believes the sheriff should play an active role in the design of the jail and should be looking at cost-effective plans and not dreams.

"Who better than the sheriff to say what we need?" he said.

He also said he believes the jail could be built for as little as $50 million for 600 beds at the current Low Risk facility site on U.S. Highway 69 north.

Dunklin said he knows there are problems with the current office facilities for the sheriff office, but added that was part of working for the government.

"The lights still come on, toilets still flush in the Smith County Office Building. You just have to put up with some antiquated facilities. That just goes with it. Everyone would like something new. But I don't think our citizens will vote for that. We just have to keep putting the Band-aids on."

Dunklin said if voted sheriff he would follow the recent smoking ban passed by Tyler and would eliminate smoking in the jail. He also said he would terminate cable television and have inmates watching instructional or therapeutic videos.

"Right now, the problem with criminals is they lay in bed, smoke, and watch Dr. Phil. I want to cut out smoking. The ventilation systems in jails are inherently poor. If I pay $1 a year for (medical care for) an inmate with respiratory infection because of smoking, that's $1 too many," he said.

Dunklin said he wants citizens to feel they have a part in their government on the local level and he believes he could offer that to everyone.

"We certainly need a change in our thinking. We should represent every voter in Smith County. Every voter should believe they have a voice. I want the poorest citizen of this county to have the same access to the sheriff's office as the most wealthy," he said.

DUNKLIN
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