Former sheriff Tim Hutchison and state Sen. Tim Burchett are facing off to replace term-limited incumbent Mike Ragsdale.

We think Burchett is the right choice.

“I know I can do that job,” he said. “It’s a matter of getting the right team in place. I know I can make the right decisions and have the right team of people to carry the decisions out.”

Hart’s employment file with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Merit System Council is replete with good comments from his KCSO supervisors, former employers and other references. They include remarks such as “respectful, kind, caring and honest,” “reliable” and refer to him as a good team worker. In job performance evaluations, his marks in every category ranged from average to above average, with an occasional rating of “distinguished.”

Steve Hart, running against Knox County Sheriff J.J. “Jimmy” Jones in the Republican primary, has been terminated from his job as a corrections officer at the Knox County Detention Facility for seeking office.