THE CHRONICLE’S ENDORSEMENTS: Forsyth County Sheriff
THE CHRONICLE’S ENDORSEMENTS: Forsyth County Sheriff
Early voting begins Thursday, April 19. The Democratic and Republican primaries are on May 8. Forsyth County Sheriff is one of the important races on both ballots that will help to shape policy for the next few years in our community.
Bill Schatzman was elected to serve as Forsyth County Sheriff in 2004, and is currently seeking his fifth term in office. Schatzman, a former FBI agent, will face a challenge in the Republican primary from former Forsyth County deputy Ernie Leyba, who is new to the political scene. Schatzman appears to have the support of the local Republican Party base and is a well-established candidate for the position. Bill Schatzman will emerge victorious in the May 8 Republican primary.
The Democratic primary is a showdown between Bobby Kimbrough Jr., a retired special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration; Tim Wooten, a former Forsyth County deputy sheriff; and Clifton Kilby, also a former Forsyth County deputy sheriff.
Clifton Kilby served in the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office as a supervisor. Kilby ran unsuccessfully for sheriff in 2014 as a Republican candidate, and is now seeking the opportunity to serve as the Democratic nominee. He has indicated that he is committed to supporting military veterans and to making Forsyth County safer.
Tim Wooten has served over 16 years with the Winston-Salem Police Department, 17 years with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and almost seven years as Police Chief with the Cooleemee Police Department. Wooten is a lifelong Democrat that has made support for School Resource Officers and the unjustified shootings and killings of unarmed African-American males to be a major part of his campaign.
Bobby Kimbrough Jr. is a native of Forsyth County with a long track record of community service. He has also served as a Winston-Salem public safety officer, an assistant fire marshal, and as a North Carolina Probation and Parole officer. Having lost his wife of 15 years to the opioid epidemic, he has made fighting the opioid crisis one of the cornerstones of his campaign for Forsyth County Sheriff. Kimbrough also seems to have an understanding of the other important issues that surround our community, such as the youth-to-prison pipeline, improving community relations with law enforcement and promoting diversity training for deputies. Bobby Kimbrough Jr. has seven children, three in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools system, and two at Winston-Salem State University. Kimbrough has a stellar resume, close community ties, and an excellent understanding of the issues that face our community.
The Chronicle Endorses Bobby Kimbrough Jr. for Forsyth County Sheriff in the Democratic Primary.
PRIMARY VOTING INFORMATION
Early voting starts today. The Board of Elections office on the second floor of the County Government Center will be the sole early voting site open on today, April 20 and 23-27 with hours from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Then four satellite sites will open April 30-May 4 from 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. at the Southside, Lewisville and Rural Hall libraries and VFW Post 5352 in Kernersville, in addition to the Board of Elections office, which will maintain its regular hours. Saturday, May 5, will be the last day of early voting as all five sites will be open from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
