Wadkins views experience as ticket to sheriff's office

Editor's note: This is one in a series of articles profiling candidates for local and state office in the Nov. 5 general elections.

Independent Tom Wadkins, 70, is no stranger to the operations of a sheriff’s office. He has more than 10 years of experience with the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office, and now he wants to bring that experience, and the skills he gained during his broad career, to the Henrico County sheriff’s office.

Wadkins announced last month that he would seek the seat during the Nov. 5 general election. He'll face Democrat Alisa Gregory and Republican Bob Matson.

After beginning at the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office in 1991, Wadkins rose to oversee finance, office budget and information technology, as well as manage the operations of multiple departments such as medical, property and supply and the kitchen. He later served as undersheriff for Sheriff Clarence T. “CT” Woody, Jr. for a couple of months, he said.

Wadkins served a central role in designing and implementing an automated inmate-related issue tracking system – for issues such as “bookings, records, court appearances, property, visitation, and inmate accounts” – for the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office. He then worked as a computerization consultant for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.

He also has experience in the private sector, having worked for Virginia Electric & Power Company (now Dominion Energy) as a programmer. He is currently vice president for operations and information technology for Vive Life Center, where he handles matters not limited to budget preparation, the patient database and cyber-security.

Wadkins, who has been a Henrico resident for three years and was a Richmond resident for 20, said that he is running for sheriff because he believes he has much to offer, such as his experience and integrity.

"I'm a resident of the county. And I can do this. I have done this,” Wadkins said, adding that he’s dealt with issues that sheriff’s offices face, such as overcrowding.

He said that his experience covered “all facets” at the Richmond City Sheriff’s Office.

"You don't design a computer system to track all the goings-on with an inmate without having a good understanding of what's going on with all the inmates," he said. "You don't have a good understanding of the budget requirements for a facility like that until you've done the budget, and I mean all the way down.”

Wadkins is running as an independent because he wanted to represent all the citizens of Henrico County, not just those of a particular political party, he said.

“Sounds good, tough nut to crack,” Wadkins said. “But that's what I really believe. Because I really believe that the sheriff's office, unlike some of your other elected positions, I really feel like the sheriff's office needs to represent all the citizens. It's like the commonwealth attorney's office, clerk of the court. They need to represent all of the citizens because all of y'all have a need for our services.”

If elected, Wadkins wants to see if improvements can be made to existing opioid programs and inmate safety, he said.

Wadkins identifies as a strong fiscal conservative and said that he would ensure taxpayer money is being spent wisely and that needless expenses are avoided in Henrico County Sheriff’s Office’s $42 million budget.

“I don't like spending money needlessly, whether it's mine or the taxpayers',” Wadkins said. “If there is a way of doing something less expensively and still give me a quality result, I want to do that.”

Wadkins said he would not be able to see shortcomings in the sheriff’s office, if any, from the outside looking in. Therefore, he wants to bring his background in data, operations and management to the office and see if he can improve upon what's already being done, he said.

“I want to get in there and learn what's going on," he said. "Give me time to get in there, get my feet wet. I'm asking the voters, the taxpayers that little bit of an opportunity. Pretty quick study. But I need to get in there and look at it. . . I've got to get in first. And that's what I'm shooting for."