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As a service to our readers, we are publishing profiles of Claiborne County candidates who have submitted their answers to a short survey. The firm deadline for all submissions is June 30 at 4 p.m.

Early voting begins on July 15. We will continue to publish in our July 6 and July 13 editions of the newspaper all survey answers that were submitted by the deadline.

Following is the profile of Claiborne County Sheriff hopeful Josh Russell:

My name is Josh Russell. I was born and raised here in Claiborne County. I married my wife Donna in 1998 and we have one daughter, Katelyn.  I am the son of Cookie Lawson Russell and Randy Russell of Speedwell, I have one sister, Candace. I’m a Deacon and member of Summey’s Bridge Baptist Church.  I started my Law Enforcement career in 2000 at the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office as a reserve deputy. I was hired on as a full time Deputy in late 2000 and went on to the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy and graduated in July of 2003.  Since then, I worked my way through the ranks from night shift patrol to Detective where I served from 2011 to 2018.  In 2018, I left the Sheriff’s office and started working for Claiborne 911 as the Geographic information system technician addressing new residences and handling all aspects of the 911 mapping system.

I currently own and operate Russell Made Custom Holsters in Harrogate.  I have owned and operated my own successful business since 2013 and now have our holsters being sold in Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia as well as selling and shipping holsters all over the United States and even as far as Canada and the Philippines.

We have several issues plaguing us here in Claiborne County.  We have a huge Drug problem that we will combat with heavy drug enforcement and stop the revolving door of drug abuse that leads to so many other problems like domestic abuse and theft.  We will strive to bring trust back to the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office, and work toward familiarizing the citizens with the deputies that will be serving them.  We will use social media as a tool to keep the citizens informed about what’s going on in their neighborhoods. As your Sheriff I will be available to the citizens of Claiborne County with an open and transparent Sheriff’s Office.

With this election, we have the opportunity to move the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office into a new direction where professionalism, accountability, and effectiveness are hallmarks of our organization. With these values instilled into our operations and procedures, we can best accomplish the role of the sheriff’s office – to protect resident’s rights, and to make the county a safe place to live, work, and raise our children.