Richard Dixon Suspending Campaign for Richmond County Sheriff

Richard Dixon had his eye on the Richmond County Sheriff's Office, and he hoped to gather enough signatures to be on the November ballot, running as an Independent for the office. Dixon needed 6,700 signatures to qualify, and he said he was well on his way to meeting the requirement before the July deadline, but Dixon announced today on the Austin Rhodes Show that he is suspending his campaign. Dixon, who retired from a 20-year career in law enforcement, said it was always his plan to drop out of the race if Sheriff Richard Roundtree was defeated in the Democratic primary. That's exactly what happened this week, when Roundtree was defeated by opponent Eugene "Gino Rock" Brantley in a runoff race. Roundtree's run as sheriff will come to an end after 12 years in January. Dixon made it known to voters that change was needed in the sheriff's office and that's why he wanted to run. But when the Democratic primary ended in a runoff last month, Dixon was encouraging residents to vote for Brantley. Now that Brantley has defeated Roundtree, Dixon said he's happy to take a step back and return to being semi-retired. Dixon is a former Richmond County deputy, and also spent the last 20 years working for the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. He's also developed a program for the Georgia School for Innovation and the Classics on a Criminal Justice Pathway. Richard Dixon Out, Brantley Now the Only Name in the Sheriff's Race on the November Ballot Eugene "Gino Rock" Brantley will be the only name on the November ballot in the sheriff's race. That means he'll become Richmond County's next sheriff in January. Brantley started working for the Richmond County Sheriff's Office in 2000, then left and went to work for the Richmond County Marshal's Office in 2016. He currently oversees evictions. Brantley has a long list of goals when he takes office after the first of the year. For starters, he wants to improve response times to emergencies, overcrowding at the jail, retaining officers and improving morale, just to name a few.