White County Sheriff Q5 Candidate Responses

The Main Street Journal – Sparta has been listening to the community. Over the past several weeks, readers have submitted questions they want answered ahead of the 2026 election—and we’ve taken those directly to your White County Sheriff candidates.

Here is your fifth question, and answers from those candidates who chose to respond.

The relationship between the County Government and the County Sheriff’s department has been strained for several years. How will you work to improve this relationship?

STEVE PAGE: I am always willing to work with any department to have a good working relationship to keep White County moving forward. I believe it is crucial to every department to have a good working relationship with each department inside White County and with other counties as well.

DANIEL TRIVETTE: I started working on rebuilding relationships from day one of this campaign. This began with having conversations with current elected officials and those seeking these positions. Another way I have set the tone for rebuilding the relationship between the sheriff office and the county is to avoid aligning myself with one candidate over another. Too often candidates join “cliques” and begin aligning with one candidate over another. This should not happen if elected officials truly want to work together to best serve the folks who they represent. When a candidate publicly aligns themselves with one candidate over another it begins a very strained relationship should the opposing candidate be elected. Candidates should focus on presenting their ideas and learning what their voters need from them rather than riding the coattails of other candidates. Too often I see candidates align themselves with other candidates because they are unable to stand on their own two feet and articulate themselves clearly on the issues before them. Elected officials must be able to work together with whomever the voters put in office. This is why it is important for local candidates to focus on local issues rather than rely solely on other candidates' hard work or party affiliations. The voters deserve candidates who can work with anyone rather than only a select few candidates.

Over the past several months, I’ve made it a priority to attend nearly every candidate meet-and-greet. To demonstrate my willingness to work with whoever you elect to serve our county. This does not mean that I endorse, agree with, or support that candidate. It means that I'm looking past the politics and trying to be an example of how things should be done in our local government. Whether that candidate supports me or not, I speak with every candidate openly and respectfully. Because the work of serving this county doesn’t begin after election day. It started yesterday. Putting differences aside and working towards unity is a true leadership quality.

The Main Street Journal - Sparta's 2026 Election Coverage is brought to you by Tennessee Credit.