Advertisement

William "Bill" Judkins, 38, of Carsonville has announced he will run for the law enforcement position as a Republican in the August Primary Election.

Judkins, who worked for a year as a county corrections officer in Coffee County, Tennessee, is entering the race against two veteran police officers: Michael Redman, police chief in Yale and a retired Sanilac County sheriff's officer, and Tim Torp, Deckerville police chief and also retired from the Sanilac department. Redman and Torp are also Republicans.

Judkins, a logistics manager for a Port Huron trucking company, said he's offering voters a choice because "I'm not a career police officer and I'm not a politician."

The 1987 graduate of Carsonville-Port Sanilac High School said, "my main purpose for running is about not building a new jail. I'm against it. I think it's irresponsible to try to build it in these economic times. We need to maintain the jail we have."

Judkins also wants the use jail inmates to clean up beaches, roads and parks, because he feels tourism will become more important as industry leaves the county.

He also wants the sheriff department to become "more service oriented to the public."

Judkins added, "it's time for people in my generation to step forward to run for public office and make positive changes."

Judkins and his wife, Michele, a licensed practical nurse at the County Medical Care Facility, have four children ages 8-12.