The following is a statement by Somerset County GOP Sheriff’s candidate Tim Pino, a former sheriff’s officer, in response to a press release issued by the allies of his rival:

“Sheriff Provenzano promoted me four times and that speaks volumes of what he thought of me and the public clearly sees that.

And he chose me and my K9 partner , not Bill Parenti, to put on HIS mailer to help him win reelection.

We are excited about our campaign, we are uniting Catholics, Jews and Muslims and Sikhs under one safety platform. We are getting great support from within the African American and Asian Communities. Like my mailer, this is fact and I’m proud of the movement going on in Somerset County!