Esco takes a stand - For the law

Hamblen County Sheriff Esco Jarnagin had no other choice but to fire three deputies under his command. The Tennessee Civil Service Act does not allow deputies to serve, and run for a partisan political office at the same time.
Cheers to Sheriff Jarnagin; who endured an onslaught of misconstrued assumptions and negative press from media tabloid miscreants—who wrote that the deputies were “Fired for the Crime of seeking a higher Office."
Deputies that are running against the sheriff essentially become “adversaries” of their boss (the sheriff)-- and could easily be tempted to “overly investigate certain cases”, or “under-investigate certain cases” to further their political ambitions.
In addition to the possible conflict of interests, Sheriff Jarnagin was advised by the state attorney’s office that not letting the deputies go, could put the county at risk of not receiving federal grants for restrictions under the Hatch Act provisions.
Coverage under the Hatch Act is is fact dependent. People that are subject to the restrictions of the Hatch Act are employees of State, County, or Municipal agencies that perform jobs that are connected to programs that are financed in whole or in part by federal grants, and are candidates in partisan political elections.
There are certain federal funds that can pass through state agencies-- if it is money that originated from federal grants and received as a state grant--it is still considered a federal grant. This would include but not limited to grants for police cars, software, radios, courses for special training, salaries, and equipment. All enforceable Hatch Act advisory opinions are handed down from the Hatch Act Unit of the Office of Special Counsel. Anyone seeking an opinion, must present the specific facts of each case to the Office of Special Counsel.