One look at the votes for sheriff, and you’d think Steve Gladney has done this a time or two.
Gladney defeated Republican Rudy Johnson by 5,235 votes and won 72.44 percent of the votes Tuesday night to take over the longest-tenured office in the county. He’ll replace 36-year incumbent Dolph Bryan, whom he ousted in the Democratic runoff in August.
After two incredibly close races, including a 57-vote edge over Charles Sanders in the primary, Gladney left the Oktibbeha County Courthouse Annex this round early — and confident — before the last five boxes were counted. He led by more than 2,400 votes by the third call.
It was a stress-free night for Gladney, who in January was a first-time candidate in a five-man race.
“It’s just one of those deals,” said Gladney. “It was a humbling experience all the way through. I knew beating Dolph would be extremely hard … now, to get 8,000 votes is even more humbling.”
Gladney, former director of the Mississippi Highway Patrol Uniform Division of Public Affairs Officers and a retired trooper of 28 years, had the edge over in Johnson in experience. Johnson, president of the Golden Triangle Planning and Development District, spent more than a dozen years as an auxiliary deputy under Bryan.
A message left for Johnson was not returned by press time.
Gladney expected the road to get easier after beating Bryan, whose supporters shifted support to his campaign following the runoff.
“I was getting a lot of calls from people I knew that supported Dolph, wanting to know more about me,” Gladney said. “As it turned out, the votes I thought I’d get (from Bryan’s supporters) is what I got. I’m thankful for everyone who voted for me.”
Gladney, along with other new sheriffs in the state, will attend a two-week course at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy in Pearl before taking office in January.
Between now and the end of December, he’s looking forward to picking Bryan’s brain and laying out his game plan.
“I’m sure Dolph will make this a smooth transition and help me along,” Gladney said. “I’ve got to plan my administration and evaluate what they got.
“The good thing is, you’re not taking over a department in shambles. They’ve got good officers.”
Gladney wants to help curb narcotics use in the county by increasing community awareness through public meetings and reigniting a local DARE — Drug Abuse Resistance Education –campaign.
Safety is another driving issue for Gladney, who said he won’t hesitate to increase patrol wherever needed. Gladney also plans to grow the office’s auxiliary deputy numbers.
Gladney said he has great relationships with the Mississippi Highway Patrol, Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, the Starkville Police Department and the Mississippi State University Police Department.
For the past year and a half, Gladney has been employed by the Starkville Police Department as a bailiff in municipal court.
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