My Sunday column

The results of Tuesday’s contested local elections in Whitfield County were — as Arte Johnson used to say on “Laugh In” — very interesting.
Claude Nix’s win in the sheriff’s race (Republican) was not surprising, but the margin by which he beat Paul Tipton was impressive. Nix took 61 percent of the vote, despite the fact that Tipton had never really quit campaigning since getting beat four years ago. This race was polite to the point of dull, probably because both candidates realized that for either one of them to beat Democratic incumbent Scott Chitwood in November, they had to pick up the other’s support after the Republican Primary. Will Tipton’s backers now rally to Nix or will they sit it out in November?
Nix and his supporters like to say he “isn’t a politician,” but so far the former GBI agent has shown he is a politician and a pretty good one. The subtle point being made with the “I’m not a politician” line is that Nix is a serious lawman while the incumbent is more worried about grabbing votes than grabbing criminals.
Of course, there’s no law of nature that says you can’t be both a good politician and a good sheriff. Certainly Sheriff Chitwood doesn’t fit the mold of a grizzled old lawman. Buford Pusser he ain’t. But Whitfield County voters have repeatedly kept him in office.
So how does Nix plan to unseat him?
Does he simply run on his resume? Nix has a solid background in law enforcement but Chitwood’s years of service as sheriff would seem to negate that strategy.
Does he go after the sheriff, aggressively attacking him for failures to adequately protect Whitfield Countians? That strategy might work with the Chicken Little crowd, but Chitwood would be able to counter with the fact that serious crime in the county has largely declined in recent years.
What about the “rising” threat of gangs?
Over the years Chitwood has bungled his response on combating gangs and this has created an opening for his political opponents. But no one pressed that issue harder than Paul Tipton and all it earned him was two losing campaigns. And, in reality, how many people in the county have had their lives seriously affected by gang activity?
Is Chitwood unbeatable?
Of course not.
Nix has a good background in law enforcement and comes across as an intelligent and capable man. He’s a Republican in a Republican-dominated county. He’s got some money and a cadre of highly motivated, energetic supporters. He can win.
But Chitwood also has his supporters — after all, he is the Democratic Party’s most high profile elected official — and has plenty of campaign cash to get his message across. He’s a veteran campaigner and knows the ground.
Expect a close election.

Jimmy Espy is executive editor of The Daily Citizen. You can read more of his take on local politics at his blog site, espysoutpost.blogspot.com