DRUGS THE ISSUE AT CANDIDATE FORUM

* Republican Jimmy England, a 22-year veteran of the Middlesboro Police
Force, agreed that drug abuse is a serious problem. He stated that "meth
labs" are easy to set up with supplies that can be purchased at any store
such as Wal-Mart. He pointed out his long experience working local drug
cases, and the trust that he has engendered. He added that it was very
important to work with the court system.

* Incumbent Harold Harbin agreed that illicit drugs are a major problem in
Bell County, and said that his department has been working hard to stop
drugs from getting into the hands of children. He stated that he had been
working with state and federal agencies to accomplish this, and has had
some success, which is not always reported to the public. He explained that
the sheriff's department is limited by having little money on which to
operate and, therefore, very limited personnel.

* Democrat Bruce Bennett, who has extensive experience as a drug and
alcohol enforcement officer on the state level, continued the theme of
addressing the drug problem in Bell County. He said that while we may never
entirely stop drug and alcohol abuse, the place to start is with educating
children at all levels of school. He went on to say that petty politics
must be put aside, that it is important to work with other agencies and to
work well with the people within the sheriff's office.

* Democrat Ricky Washington, Sr., a veteran of the Pineville Police
Department, stated that his goal is to serve everyone regardless of social
or economic status. He explained that there is currently some
discrimination against the less advantaged people in rural Bell County and
some "profiling" of people of color and/or low financial resources. This,
he feels, must stop and the Sheriff's office must treat everyone the same.

Following these presentations, there was a reception during which those in
attendance could visit with the candidates one-on-one and ask them questions.