Democrats pick Fuson as candidate for Whitley Jailer

Joe Allen Fuson filed as a Democratic candidate for Jailer Monday.

Nearly one week after the Republican party picked its nominee for Whitley County Jailer in the upcoming special election this November, the Democratic party has picked its man.

The Whitley County Democratic Executive Committee met Friday, and selected Joe Allen Fuson as their nominee for Whitley County Jailer.

Fuson filed his certificate of nomination Monday afternoon in the Whitley County Clerk’s Office.

Fuson will face former jailer and current interim Jailer Ken Mobley, who is the Republican nominee.

The winner will fill out the remainder of the term vacated when Les Moses resigned as jailer after only about eight days on the job this past January.

Fuson, 32, said he wants to become jailer because there are a lot of changes, which need to be made at the jail.

"Just the way everything is run, the day to day operations and everything," Fuson said. "Me, personally, I have some great ideas that I would like to incorporate into the jail. Plus, I would like to cut back on some of the spending that the jail does and stuff like that."
Fuson said he would also like to get a drug rehabilitation program started, and find ways to improve the food for inmates while reducing food expenses at the jail.
"I would like to incorporate more church themes in jail to help ease inmates out. I am a very strong Christian. I would like to maybe have more people come up and have services and things like that," he said.

"From my experience working there, people come in and talk to these inmates, which helps out a lot of those with drug problems, especially when they get out and hit the street."

Fuson worked for three years at the Whitley County Detention Center.

He is a Whitley County native, who graduated from Whitley County High School. He attended Cumberland College for one and one-half years.

"I have worked all over here in Whitley County. Whitley County is my home. I just want to see changes happening in Whitley County that is one reason I decided to stick my neck out and run," he added.
Fuson said that he feels his chances of winning are pretty good.

"I have talked to quite a few people. From what I have gathered from them, I think I have a really, really good shot. I really do," he said. "I talked to quite a few people before I even put my resume in for the Democratic nomination. Based on the feedback, I feel I have a really, really strong chance."

Fuson said that the percentage of Democrats to majority Republicans in the county doesn’t worry him.

"A lot of people I have talked to are Republicans, who have said that they would back me," he added.

Write-in candidates
Whitley County Clerk Kay Schwartz said that the deadline has already passed for someone to run as an independent candidate.
Write-in candidates have until Oct. 28 at 4 p.m. to file in the county clerk’s office.
In order to serve as jailer, a person has to be at least 24 years old, must have lived in the state for two years and in the county for at least one year prior to assuming office.

"A write-in can file, and they do not even have to have anyone sign for them to run," Schwartz said. "They can come into my office and fill out the papers."

In order to cast a vote for a write in candidate, with the paper ballots voters merely mark the box by write-in in the race and write in the name of the candidate, she said.