RIVERDALE — Clayton County sheriff candidates gathered for a forum held Thursday at the Clayton County Fire Department Training Center in Riverdale.
Candidates in the May 21 Democratic primary include incumbent Levon Allen and challengers Clarence Cox, Jeffrey Turner and Charlene Watson-Fraser.
A runoff, if needed, would be held June 18.
There are no Republicans running so the winner of the primary will be the new sheriff.
The Clayton County Youth Commission hosted and moderated Thursday’s forum.
Allen has been sheriff since being appointed in December 2022 to replace former sheriff Victor Hill, who was indicted and later convicted of civil rights violations.
Allen won a special election in spring 2023, defeating Cox in a runoff.
Cox recently retired from Fulton County as the chief investigator for the Solicitor General’s Office.
Turner is the Clayton County Board of Commissioners chair and is a former Clayton County Police chief.
Watson-Fraser has 24 years of law enforcement experience, most recently with the Clayton County Police Department.
Why are you running for sheriff?
“I’m running because there’s no one that cares for the county the way I care for the county,” Allen said, adding, “I got into law enforcement to help people, not hurt people.”
“I’m here because I want to make a difference,” Cox sad. “I’m here because Clayton County deserves better. I’m here because we’ve got to stop the bleeding — we’ve got to stop wasting taxpayer dollars.”
“I love this county,” Turner said. “I’m running to be the sheriff because of that love of this county and want to see this county do better.”
He added that “we have to restore that credibility back to the Sheriff’s Office and make sure our Sheriff’s Office is looked up to.”
“We deserve better as citizens of Clayton County,” Watson-Fraser said.
She…
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