HARRIS ANNOUNCES BID FOR TWIGGS SHERIFF

A former small-town police chief has announced his plans to run for the
Twiggs County sheriff's seat.

J. Phillip Harris, 45, wants to replace Stone as sheriff and is entering
the race as a Democrat. Harris said fighting drugs and accountability are
the key platforms in his grassroots campaign.

"We've got to get out there and fight drugs," Harris said. "The drug
problem in Twiggs is running rampant, and we need to do something about it."

The office is currently held by Doyle Stone, who has decided not to seek
re-election.

Harris, a Macon native, is the former police chief of Payne City and now
lives in Dry Branch. He ran for Bibb County sheriff in 1992, but came in a
distant third with 3 percent of the vote.

Harris said he learned from his last campaign efforts and is now working on
raising money to get his campaign off the ground, but he's still
campaigning door to door.

"I'm putting out flyers at every house," Harris said. "I'm making sure
everyone knows to vote for me."

Harris comes from a family of law enforcement officers, with both his
father and uncle having worked at the Macon Police Department and his
brother working at the Bibb County Sheriff's Office. He's not concerned
about being a newcomer to Twiggs County, having moved there in 2001.

"If you elect someone (originally) from down there, all you're going to get
is more of what you got," Harris said. "It's time for a change in Twiggs
County ... and the people I've talked to say they want that."

Harris said the sheriff's department must be accountable for crime across
the county.

"I don't know who the richest man is or the poorest man is in Twiggs County
so I'm going to treat them all the same," Harris said. "It's time to clean
out the crime (in the county) ... if the heat is too hot, they'll get out
of the kitchen."

Harris is an Army veteran and currently owns a security and private
investigation business.