This is the fourth feature on
candidates who are advertising on
The Logan Journal.
Phil Gregory is not only asking people to vote for him to be Logan County Jailer next week, but he’s also giving them reasons why they should.
Gregory promises he will do the following:
*Continue to support weekly ministry at the jail and establish church services on Sunday for those inmates who wish to attend Sunday church.
*Establish as strong educational program at the jail for the inmates. “GED, job placement programs and substance abuse programs are major keys to rehabilitation through education,” he says.
*Utilize the state inmate worker program to save tax dollars for county and cities within the county and assist non-profit organizations. . "This enables the inmates to get back into the work force, earn their keep and transition into productive citizens."
*Use good, conservative business practices to manage and oversee properly the $2.2 million-plus budget of the jail “so your hard-earned tax dollars can stay in your house and out of the jail house.”
“The jailer’s job is not necessarily about law enforcement. He should be looked at as CEO/manager of a $2.2 million business,” Phil Gregory says.
“The jailer oversees and manages 28 full-time and part-time employees, is responsible for the care and well-being of a hundred-plus inmates. A fully functioning kitchen to feed the inmates, a huge amount of paperwork, has to have inmates on time for court, works with lawyers to provide unrestricted access to their clients, and see that the families of the inmates are treated with respect.”
He notes that he is professionally trained and certified in office administration by the Kentucky State Criminal Justice Cabinet.
Phil Gregory has won the support of Logan County voters repeatedly in the past. He served 13 years as Logan County Coroner, a county-wide elective position. He served 16 years as director of the Logan County Ambulance Service. He is a paramedic graduate and a certified fire fighter and earned his masters in training. He also holds master coroner certification.
His first jail/law enforcement experience came when he was a military police officer and worked in a military stockade (jail) as a counselor and guard, transporting prisoners from Fort Knox to a maximum security prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He has been professionally trained and certified by the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice in Office Administration, Firearms 1 and 2, Mass Disaster Planning, Case Interview, Case Preparation, Courtroom Demeanor, Child Death Investigation, Post-Morten Examination, Evidence and DNA Recovery, and Courtroom Preparation. He is experienced in working with the United States Prosecuting Attorney's Office.
In addition to his work in and with law enforcement, Phil Gregory also has business experience. He owned and operated Gregory’s Specialized Transportation for several years.
He says. “I also have experience working with a board while I was ambulance service director, and even more importantly I have made countless appearances before fiscal court, both as coroner and as ambulance service director. No one else running for jailer has that kind of experience.”
Gregory promises to perform all the duties of his job if elected. He says he will be a full-time jailer, visible to the inmates and to the public. "I will not forget that I work for the voters of Logan County and that I don't own the jail, the taxpayers of Logan County do," he says. "I will work tirelessly to improve the jail's reputation.
“It’s time for a fiscal conservative and businessman to oversee the operation of the jail."
1969 graduate of Russellville High School who studied at Western Kentucky University, Phil Gregory is the son of Billy and Muriel Williamson Gregory. He is married to the former Janie Sanders, whose late parents Jimmy and Kathleen Sanders began Sanders Funeral Home. Phil and Janie have a daughter, Valerie, who is married to Richard Hughes of Adairville. They have two grandsons, Jon-Keith Smith and Alex Hughes. Phil Gregory has lived and worked in Logan County for over 50 years.
A veteran, he says, “I have served my country in a time of war and now I am ready to serve you.”