The Columbia County sheriff has defeated a local police chief.
David Bartlett has won a second term as Columbia County Sheriff, beating his Democratic opponent, Chatham Police Chief Peter Volkmann, 10,279 to 7,761, maintaining county tradition of electing Republican sheriffs. Both candidates agreed the top issue facing the county is combating the opioid epidemic. Bartlett says he works for the people and his office is much more than a police department.
"Sheriff's office has five different divisions. Law enforcement, corrections, civil, emergency management and security services. So it's more than just being a cop. You really have to be trained and well-versed in all of these different divisions of this agency, and I am.”
