Editor, the News-Sentinel:

Having met candidate for sheriff Jim Andrews on a couple of occasions and listening to what he has had to say about how he plans to run things in the Sheriff's Department, I've decided to place my vote for him on August 1.

While I acknowledge that Sheriff Tim Hutchison has done well in some areas and is maligned unfairly at times, he hasn't exactly won himself over. Despite the fact that he is a Republican, he hasn't exactly been conservative with public monies.

The claim that the six helicopters were donated free or that the training facility is funded with drug money, thus saving taxpayer dollars, doesn't resonate with me. Why does the department need six helicopters?

While I respect a sheriff for standing up for his or her deputies and having thick skin that is sometimes needed for an elected office, there is a big difference between that and trying to start a fight with everyone just for the sake of starting a fight.

A change in the basic working relationships between local law enforcement agencies is also needed.

Chris Fortner

Knoxville, TN