Priddy ousts incumbent, says strategy to tackle drugs will be a priority
May 14—An officer with the Beckley Police Department for over two decades, Frank Priddy won a three-way race for Raleigh County sheriff Tuesday, topping the incumbent, Jim Canaday, by 750 votes out of 10,157 cast.
"I'm overwhelmed," Priddy said in an interview in the county courthouse on Tuesday night where a crowd of candidates for county and city and judicial positions along with interested parties and the media gathered to watch the returns roll in after voting ended at 7:30 p.m.
"I'm doing this to get some stuff done," he said. "Drugs are a priority."
Canaday was sworn into office in December of 2022 having been appointed by then-Sheriff Scott Van Meter, who won a race to become county clerk.
"I am totally at peace," Canaday said in the courthouse after late results showed a steep hill to climb with only a few precincts not reporting. "I don't look at the results as a reflection of my career."
As the sheriff made the rounds in the courthouse courtroom, getting slaps on the back from friends, Priddy was doing a standup TV interview in the hallway outside.
Priddy describes himself as a lifelong conservative Republican and resident of the county. He and his wife, Angela, have been married for 24 years. They have four children.
While serving as a policeman, he was an investigator and served as both a patrol supervisor and for over 17 years a supervisor for the department investigative unit.
He pointed to that experience, his local roots, a known persona in the community and a strong work ethic as contributing factors for his win.
Priddy won with 3,964 votes (39.03%), while Canaday collected 3,214 votes (31.64%). Randy White, another experienced lawman with 27 years in law enforcement, ran third, getting 2,979 votes (29.33%).
In a written question and answer response with The Register-Herald leading up to the election, Priddy said the drug crisis has steadily become worse over time, and that addressing the problems throughout the community would require a multifaceted approach, including prevention, treatment, law enforcement measures and bolstering community support systems.
He talked Tuesday night of extending resources of the sheriff's office further into the county to become a more consistent, reliable presence.
"This is a priority," he said.
Priddy has said he wants to implement prevention programs in schools, educate children and equip them with tools to resist peer pressure, and address their mental health needs.
"Effective law enforcement strategies to target drug trafficking are essential, alongside active community engagement to combat this ongoing battle against drugs," he wrote in response to a question from the newspaper. "I believe we need to be more assertive in tackling drug-related crimes. I will be more aggressive in getting drugs off the streets and putting drug dealers and their support system in jail. This will be my top priority, and it will be at the top of my list for our department to enforce."
