Local Elections

A Republican primary showdown is brewing for the position of Smith County Sheriff with a longtime officeholder facing a man who says change is needed.

Challenger Andy Dunklin said he is ready to compete with Sheriff J.B. Smith again for the Republican nomination on March 4.

Dunklin, 49, is a Flint resident and a retired police officer. He owns Pressure Clean of Tyler, an outdoor cleaning company.

Dunklin said he believes a change is needed in the sheriff's office.

"There needs to be a change in leadership," Dunklin said. "A change in thinking. ... I am that change."

Dunklin served as a peace officer for 23 years, he says, 16 of those as a Texas Department of Public Safety officer.

He's a graduate of Chapel Hill High School and the East Texas Police Academy. He holds certificates from Tyler Junior College and the SMU Southwest Management Program.

In his first race against Smith, Dunklin came in second in a three-way race with 31 percent of the vote. Smith had 57 percent, and candidate Paul Black won 11 percent. Dunklin maintains that Smith County's patrol deputies spend too much time serving civil papers.

"Every day and evening, our sheriff's patrol deputies start their shifts serving civil papers and subpoenas," he said.

Dunklin would create a civil process division to free up patrol deputies to patrol, he said.

Smith, who has served as sheriff since 1976 and has been re-elected eight times, said he is proud to serve the citizens of Smith County.

"This is my passion and I thoroughly enjoy what I do for a living," he said when announcing he was seeking re-election.

Smith is a graduate of The University of Texas at Tyler and the National FBI Academy. Since taking office, his department has worked 168 murders with 80 percent solved. He says this number is 20 percent better than the national average. The sheriff said his record speaks for itself and he will not run a negative campaign.

"I have too many things to be positive about to be negative," he said. "We think over the years we have been re-elected time and time again because we are doing a good job."

Smith said he was proud of those who made up his department and the hundreds of citations and awards received by his deputies showed their dedication to the community.

"I am very proud of this organization and these shoulders that I stand on sometimes carry a heavy load. They are the reason I am successful," he said.

Smith said he believes that he can still provide the citizens of Smith Country with the protection they deserve and that as the county grows, so does his department.

When he began 30 years ago, the department consisted of 28 employees and now has 287. The number of prisoners in the Smith County Jail has increased as well.

When asked how many more terms he would seek, Smith replied, "I still have the fire in my heart. I still believe I have a lot to offer the public," he said.