Brandon Gann and his wife, Brandess
A Starkville businessman and former Starkville Police officer is the first challenger to qualify to run for sheriff of Oktibbeha County against incumbent Steve Gladney.
Brandon Gann, 33, filed the necessary paperwork on Wednesday to run for sheriff as a Democrat, and told the Starkville Daily News that his experience as both an entrepreneur and a law enforcement officer, make him uniquely qualified for the job.
“There aren’t necessarily any issues [he will campaign on] but more trying to let everything run smoothly and work hard for years to come,” he said. “I want to help the county grow.”
The political newcomer will face off against Gladney in the August Democratic primary, where Gann will try to unseat a sheriff first elected in 2012.
“I always wanted to be a sheriff, but I knew I needed to get experience before I try to run,” Gann said. “I just wanted to make sure I had enough experience before I did [run].”
And now he thinks the time is right to begin his political career.
Gann was born in Starkville and went to high school in Houston, Mississippi, before beginning his law enforcement career as a state trooper with the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol at Troop K, on the Mississippi Gulf Coast based in Biloxi.
After two years of riding the highways, Gann moved back to Starkville in 2006 and began working as an officer for the Starkville Police Department.
He worked for the department until four years ago, when he left law enforcement to focus on starting a business — Gann’s Party Inflatables. That business experience, he said, adds a valuable component to his skills that would translate into being a county sheriff.
“I quit SPD four years ago, I didn’t agree with some of the stuff they had going on and wanted to work on my business more,” he said. “I wanted to be an entrepreneur and a leader. To be a sheriff, you have to have entrepreneur-type business skills, managing employees and budgets. It takes more than law enforcement experience.”
If elected, Gann said he would focus on taking care of deputies, including pay raises, and standing firm against crime.
“There is so much more [crime] going on now,” he said. “I want people to know I would not tolerate any crime and get deputies a pay raise. Mainly to let the citizens know I’m going to be there to protect and serve them and make sure my deputies do the right thing.”
Gann is the son of Gary Gann, who recently retired as a Mississippi state trooper after 38 years.
Gann and his wife, Brandess, have two daughters.
The primary election will be held on Aug. 6, with the General Election held on Nov. 5