Tim Whitney

Tim Whitney had always wanted to be in law enforcement. And he achieved his goal by working his way up to being the second-in-command at the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.

But after a number of years of overseeing day-to-day operations for the agency, Whitney is making the transition to politics by running for Jefferson County executive — something he said is a continuation of his public service and his love for his home county.

“I love Jefferson County,” Whitney said on St. Louis Public Radio’s “Politically Speaking.” “As I say that, I can hear listeners gasping or rolling their eyes because that's a political answer. As somebody who has been in law enforcement my whole life… When I said those words, they were taken at face value. The day you become a politician, there's a sense of skepticism that applies to that. And there should be because of the things politicians before have done.”

Whitney is running against John Stockton in the GOP primary on Aug. 4. The winner will be the heavy favorite to succeed Jefferson County Executive Dennis Gannon, who is not running for re-election.