Dear Residents of Toombs County,
As a lifelong Toombs County resident, I strongly desire to see our community and its citizens have a safe and prosperous future. From the first moment I pinned a badge on my chest in 2010 until now, my passion has always been to serve my community with integrity, fairness, and honesty. I am proud to say that over my 13+ years serving Toombs County residents with the Lyons Police Department and Toombs County Sheriff’s Office, I have been able to have an impact in the lives of citizens all over the county, but now is the time that I work to step into an even bigger role. A role that will afford me the opportunity to serve and have an even greater impact on the lives of the great citizens of our community.
Like I do before any important decision, I spoke to God for weeks seeking direction until He spoke and provided me with a clear vision to lead our department and lead us into a safer, more peaceful and stronger community. I then began receiving calls from citizens, community leaders, and past and present members from each agency of our local law enforcement community expressing their desires for me to lead. Finally, after receiving my family’s blessing, I made the decision to answer the call for which I believe is my purpose.
With that being said, I am excited to announce my candidacy to be the next Sheriff of Toombs County. As your Sheriff, I am committed to leading our sheriff’s office with integrity, transparency, compassion, impartiality, and a profound understanding of what is needed to forge a safe and prosperous community. Running for sheriff has never been a personal ambition of mine, but simply a calling to serve our community with unwavering dedication. I know that I possess the leadership skills necessary to lead our department into the future, and I am asking all of you for your support in affording me the opportunity to serve our community and create a safer place for all of our families.
I know one of the main questions on everyone's minds is why I am running. As I mentioned before, I am a lifelong resident of Toombs County. My family is here, as well as friends and acquaintances. I love my community; as a matter of fact, I consider this community my family. I didn’t move here and have to learn to love our community; I grew up loving our community. I’m running because I have a genuine heart of service for our community. It has been a calling and my life’s mission to positively impact individuals who, without positive reinforcement in their lives, would end up in jail, prison, or worse. I’m also running because it breaks my heart to see how crime has increased over the past few years and plagued the community we all know and love. It equally breaks my heart to witness the unprecedented amount of overdoses our community has had recently. Fentanyl, methamphetamines, heroin, and other dangerous drugs are continuously destroying our communities and families. Our community has lost amazing people to substance abuse and overdoses, some I knew personally and considered friends. We’ve also begun to see a rise in gang activity and violence. As the lead agency in the county, it is our duty and responsibility to do everything possible to regain control of every aspect of criminal activity that has begun to destroy our community, which is why as your elected Sheriff, I will be committed from day one to making the reduction of crime one of my top priorities. I must say that we have a great department with amazing, hardworking, and dedicated deputies now, but my goal is to make it even greater and make the Toombs County Sheriff’s Office a beacon of success for which other agencies look to as a blueprint for their own success.
In closing, I humbly ask each of you for your support and your trust in me as your sheriff. Please know that when you cast your vote for me, you’re casting your vote for a man of integrity and compassion. You’re casting your vote for a man who loves this community and its residents who want nothing more than to see it be a place of safety, peace, and prosperity. Together, we can reach this common goal, so let us embark on this journey together as one community, one people, and one county!
I look forward to interacting with each of you, so call me, message me, and speak to me at Wal-Mart, the gas station, or wherever you see me. I would love to meet all of you! I love all of you, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Yours Truly,
Rodney Wardlaw