A former Johnston County deputy has announced his candidacy for Johnston County Sheriff.
William “Bill” Burgess of Clayton announced his candidacy Monday on the Republican ticket to challenge incumbent Sheriff Steve Bizzell who has already announced he would seek reelection in 2018.
Burgess, 50, a native of Washington, NC graduated from Basic Law Enforcement Training at Central Community College in Sanford in 1990.
He worked with the Angier Police Department from 1990-1993, Clayton Police Department from 1993-1996, Wake County Sheriff’s Office from 1996-2016, and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office from 2016-2017.
Burgess and his wife, Carolyn, have a 9 year-old son, Jake, three stepchildren, Terah, Meghan and Keith, as well as three step-grandchildren.
“I am a career law enforcement officer and not a politician,” Burgess said. “I have served for approximately 27 years in law enforcement and have dedicated my life to the profession and to serving others.”
“I am running for Johnston County Sheriff because I believe that I can bring the Sheriff’s Office into the 21st Century.”
In an email, Burgess said if elected he would work to improve morale in the department, implement a competitive promotional process, establish a program to check on the elderly, create a drug interdiction team for I-95, I-40 and US70, and fill current vacancies while bringing the department up to full operational levels.
