David Gabriel
Sheriff David Gabriel will run for a third term in 2024 and said he will “crank up” his campaign around February.
“My life plan is to run at least two more times, this time and the next time, and that puts me at retirement age at the end of that,” said Gabriel, who is 50 years old.
Gabriel was elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020, when he defeated challenger Don Waldroup with 55% of the vote.
Gabriel will have at least one opponent in the 2024 general election.
County coroner James “Junior” Jackson, who spent 18 years in various roles with the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office, said last week he plans to run for sheriff. Jackson placed an introductory ad in last week’s edition of The Oglethorpe Echo.
Jackson and Gabriel recently met to discuss Jackson’s candidacy and several topics that likely will be hot-button campaign issues.
Those include use of the Oglethorpe County Jail, Sheriff’s Office staffing, the new school zone cameras on Highway 78 and Comer Road (Highway 22), and the amount of warrants being served in the county.
Jackson’s wife, Angela, is the county’s 911 director, which is under Gabriel.
Sheriff is one of several county-wide positions in this year’s general primary, which is scheduled for May 21.
Those include magistrate judge (Megan Coile), probate judge (Kayla Grier), chairman of the board of commissioners (Jay Paul), tax commissioner (Sheila Arnold), coroner (James Jackson) and clerk of superior court (Kelli Paradise Smith).
Also, representatives from Districts 1 (Guillermo Camacho), 2 (Tim Poole) and 4 (Jake Willcox) of the board of education, and from Districts 2 (Andy Saxon) and 4 (Will Brown) of the board of commissioners will be decided this year, according to the Oglethorpe County Board of Elections.
Qualifying for the offices will be held from 9 a.m. Monday, March 4 to noon on Friday, March 8 at the board of elections office, 41 Fairground Road in Lexington.