Citizens' Comments - David Faison Jr

I want to begin by congratulating Mr. Calvin Woodard on winning the Wilson County Democratic Sheriff Primary and wish him well in the November general election, a gesture Sheriff Gay should also be making. But no! Sheriff Gay, after being soundly beaten -- fair and square -- has taken the low road by being a sore loser and saying some outrageous things about Mr. Woodard's win, as well as about the decision of Wilson County voters -- blacks and whites -- to not renew his tenure in office.


Some of the things he said are: "I'm going to see that this does not happen." "I'm going to do everything I can to see that the right person is in position to do it." "The election turned out to be a race issue, not an issue race." "The election has divided Wilson County as much as it has ever been divided." "I call upon Calvin to try and rebuild on what he has torn apart." Finally, "Woodard should not fire anybody who works for him presently and warns that without the staff he has put together, Woodard will fail."

Most troubling to me are the comments he made about race as being the overriding factor in his (Gay's) defeat. Mr. Gay has been sheriff for the past 28 years, and is a 33-year veteran of the department. As far as I am concerned, his departure is long overdue. By his logic, he should stay in office until he decides to leave. Not only that, when he does leave, he should pick the next sheriff to succeed himself. Well Mr. Gay, it does not work that way! This is why we have an electoral process.

I have not seen any proof that the citizens in both the city of Wilson and Wilson County are racially divided, as indicated by Sheriff Gay. On what basis did he determine this to be the case? If this election had been contested by a qualified white candidate running against Mr. Gay, I know plenty of people who -- like me -- would have voted for the new candidate.

Lastly, as to the operation of the Sheriff's Office in terms to personnel staffing, if Mr. Woodard wins the general election in November and becomes the Wilson County sheriff, it is his prerogative, not Mr. Gay's, to determine the individuals who will work for him. Comments to this issue by Sheriff Gay I find very condescending and out of order! Instead of spewing negative rhetoric against his apparent successor, Mr. Gay should be working towards ensuring that the next sheriff's transition into office will be a smooth and positive operation.

Article written by David Faison Jr. and appeared in Wilson Times