Clarksville TN – In my career, I’ve had the pleasure, and sometimes misery, of covering a lot of public figures. Dating all the way back to Clarksville Mayor Charlie Crow, to current Mayor Kim McMillan. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting with then Governor Lamar Alexander, to Nashville Mayor Phil Bredesen.
Remember Bill Boner? Him too.
But, when it comes to law enforcement figures, that’s a totally different beast. They’re always “guarded” in their relationship with the media. They’re extremely careful with what they tell us, and when. How close they’ll let you get.
A cop has to keep his guard up. It’s his nature.
Former Clarksville Police Chief Mark Smith hated dealing with the media. I was one of the few reporters he would talk to. He trusted me and I appreciated that.
And don’t get me started on former Sheriff’s Deputy Chief Ed Patterson. I loved that guy. Talk about somebody who absolutely HATED the media. But I always had, what I thought was a good relationship with Ed.
I say all of that, to say this. I’ve covered a lot of Sheriff’s in this town, and I must say, Sheriff John Fuson is going to be a good one to follow.
Joel Plummer, Billy Smith, Norman Lewis, all first class lawmen, AND politicians. They each had a distinctive style about them, but one thing’s for certain. They HATED crime, and were committed to stopping it.
Sheriff John Fuson will continue that legacy.
I remember the first time I met the late Sheriff Norman Lewis.
My dear sweet friend, Earl McElfresh, was hosting a fundraiser for Lewis and was wanting me to come sample his famous “grilled baloney.”
Food!
Immediately I was impressed with Lewis. That man had a personality, and a charm that wouldn’t quit. People loved him.
I could see why.
But that didn’t matter if you broke the law. He would arrest you. And that’s the thing about cops, they enforce the law, and nobody gets away with breaking it.
John Fuson is that same type of man.
When the commission finally voted 12-7 for Fuson, the reaction of the crowd was amazing. I couldn’t believe how excited they were.
I’ll bet the entire Woodlawn community was there.
Sheriff Fuson was open to letting me interview him, and we spent a couple of hours talking about a lot of things. I was as impressed as I was the first time I met Norman Lewis.
Without the grilled baloney.
You could tell that being Sheriff was something John Fuson was preparing to be. You could tell it wasn’t about the money and power.
You could tell that he wasn’t going to blow this opportunity.
Now only time will tell if he makes believers out of all of us.
To read my SPECIAL REPORT on Sheriff John Fuson, go here: www.clarksvilleonline.com/2013/01/14/meet-montgomery-county-sheriff-john-fuson/
And here: www.clarksvilleonline.com/2013/01/15/montgomery-county-sheriff-john-fuson-the-new-sheriff-in-town-part-2/
