A surprise announcement out of Bartow County as the 2016 campaign season erupts. Retiring Cartersville Police Chief Tommy Culpepper, who last spring made a very public appeal for a kidney donation as he’s been on dialysis since 2013, announced Sunday he will run for Bartow County sheriff next year.
We have a call into incumbent Sheriff Clark Millsap for comment on whether he’ll seek a new term in 2016.
The following appears on a campaign website and Facebook page on Culpepper’s behalf:
“I, Thomas N. Culpepper, humbly announce my candidacy for the Office of Sheriff of Bartow County. I do not make this decision lightly. I have given this matter over to much prayer and have consulted with those in whom I have implicit trust, prior to making this decision. I have also been approached by many in the community asking that I enter the race. It is my desire to be the kind of Sheriff that is available, accountable and actively involved in the department. I will bring the skills gained through the past 37 years in law enforcement and eight years as the Chief of Police in Cartersville, to lead and direct the Sheriff’s Department. I will apply integrity, fidelity, fiscal restraint and professionalism in everything that I do.”
In a May interview with Hometown Headlines, Culpepper had this to say about his search for a kidney donor:
“I was diagnosed with Lupus at a young age and it caused some underlying problems and damage to my kidneys and joints. I actually had a kidney transplant in 1994 but that kidney began to fail in 2006 and by 2013, I was in total renal failure. I have been on dialysis since 2013. It keeps you alive and going but it is a temporary fix … it doesn’t do what a living kidney can do.” Culpepper’s wife, Vivian, was his donor for his first kidney transplant in 1994. He has had some friends willing to donate, but none have been a successful match. Since time is a factor, some of Culpepper’s staff and friends suggested he make his plea public on social media in hopes of finding a donor. Click for the full story.
In late June, Culpepper announced his retirement plans effective at the end of this month.
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