Mark Luttrell is issuing a challenge to the local Democrats supporting Joe Ford for Shelby County mayor -- and that New Yorker named Ford who was in town this morning to endorse his uncle -- to find one instance of him showing public support for Republican presidential candidates over the last 10 years. "Find me one instance where I ever came out publicly for Sarah Palin, John McCain or George Bush," Luttrell said. "You won't find it."
Democrats have lately been pounding Luttrell for being a conservative Republican who, they claim, was the local county chairman for the John McCain-Sarah Palin campaign and Bob Corker's campaign for U.S. Senate -- against Harold Ford Jr., who was in town today from New York to endorse his uncle (quick online story here). Ford Jr. went so far as to associate Luttrell with the tea party movement. Luttrell is fighting back hard against that line of attack, saying he has always run nonpartisan campaigns and conducted himself as sheriff in a nonpatisan manner.
"They see their chance for winning is appealing to partisanship," Luttrell said. "We've got to be able to pull divergent groups together -- Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives -- to work toward a common goal."
Luttrell also said Democrats are being loose with the truth when they claim that he is advocating for a new jail during the campaign. Ford Jr. and other Democrats were describing that as Luttrell's main idea for economic development, something Luttrell strongly denies. Luttrell said as sheriff he did present the Shelby County Commission with options that included building a new jail, but also offered alternatives like more funding for drug court, mental-health and other diversions and speeding up the adjudication process.
Luttrell has consistently said during the campaign that the does not believe now is the time for the county to consider adding debt to build a new jail, although he does believe it would save taxpayers money over the longterm.
"I've never been a proponent for a jail to be the key to our economic development," Luttrell said.
Democrats have lately been pounding Luttrell for being a conservative Republican who, they claim, was the local county chairman for the John McCain-Sarah Palin campaign and Bob Corker's campaign for U.S. Senate -- against Harold Ford Jr., who was in town today from New York to endorse his uncle (quick online story here). Ford Jr. went so far as to associate Luttrell with the tea party movement. Luttrell is fighting back hard against that line of attack, saying he has always run nonpartisan campaigns and conducted himself as sheriff in a nonpatisan manner.
"They see their chance for winning is appealing to partisanship," Luttrell said. "We've got to be able to pull divergent groups together -- Democrats, Republicans, liberals, conservatives -- to work toward a common goal."
Luttrell also said Democrats are being loose with the truth when they claim that he is advocating for a new jail during the campaign. Ford Jr. and other Democrats were describing that as Luttrell's main idea for economic development, something Luttrell strongly denies. Luttrell said as sheriff he did present the Shelby County Commission with options that included building a new jail, but also offered alternatives like more funding for drug court, mental-health and other diversions and speeding up the adjudication process.
Luttrell has consistently said during the campaign that the does not believe now is the time for the county to consider adding debt to build a new jail, although he does believe it would save taxpayers money over the longterm.
"I've never been a proponent for a jail to be the key to our economic development," Luttrell said.
I find this fascinating.
While all the campaign ads running right now are embracing the tea party (or their platform) here is a Republican running away (sort of) from that platform. It really speaks volumes about the temperature of our local elections and why most of the Republican gubernatorial campaigns are spending scant time here. If the county mayor candidate is running as a nonpartisan republican in a year that supposed to be a big winner for conservatives why would Ron Ramsey and his boot even bother with Shelby county?