Incumbent coroner Jeremy Kilpatrick, right, and challenger Kevin Henry visit with those attending Thursday night’s forum.

The two candidates in the race for Cullman County Coroner made their case Thursday, generally agreeing on the office’s unique requirements while fielding questions at a candidate forum presented by the local GOP.

Incumbent coroner Jeremy Kilpatrick and challenger Kevin Henry, both Republicans, named compassion and flexibility in emotionally fraught circumstances as strengths they’d bring to the role, with Kilpatrick citing his two terms in the position, as well as on-the-job professional training, as additional benefits.

“I’ve tried to raise awareness for trends and deaths that are preventable, whether it’s suicides, traffic fatalities, or drug overdoses,” said Kilpatrick of his time in the position, adding that he also exceeds the annual requirement for obtaining continuing education credits. “I am still working on the credit examination for the International Association of Coroners & Medical Examiners, which I hope to complete in the next year,” he said.

Henry, a longtime paramedic and Huntsville native who moved to Cullman County four years ago, said he’s gained invaluable firsthand experience in assisting people during times of loss.

“We deal with people on some of their worst days, and having that kind of education, being an EMT and just working the job and running calls — it gives you that experience to learn, to talk with people, and to show compassion for what’s happening,” he said.

“Each call when you’re dealing with families is different,” said Kilpatrick. “Some yell and scream and curse at you; some are very thankful for you coming in and taking care of their [deceased] loved one. I’ve been blessed with the ability to be very compassionate with the family no matter what their situation is. In the past, I’ve broken down and cried with families multiple times at the loss of their loved one.”

The office of coroner is unique among county-level elected positions, carrying responsibilities that place the coroner in the sheriff’s role in extenuating circumstances, should the sheriff be incapacitated. Kilpatrick said he feels he’s capable of shouldering that unlikely burden thanks to his previous experience, and said he’s proud of helping bolster the county’s ability to respond to other calls for aid.

“I acquired a new body morgue for the county during this term,” he noted, later adding that he’s also responded to large-scale disasters elsewhere in Alabama as a member of the State Mortuary Operations Response (SMORT) team.

One change Henry said he’d work toward, if elected, is to make it the county’s job to transport bodies of the deceased that have been referred for autopsy. “I would like to transport the bodies ourselves,” he said. “I’m aware of the fact that they currently have someone come and pick up specific bodies to take to Huntsville [the Huntsville Regional Laboratory of the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences].”

Held at the Cullman VFW Post 2214 and moderated by Ken Brown, the coroner Q&A featured the only two candidates who are running in this year’s race. With no Democrats in this year’s field, the winner of the May 24 GOP primary will face no opposition in the Nov. 8 general election.

Forum schedule: county commission candidates will be on March 10th and 31st, district attorney on April 14, and state senate and state representative on May 12. If a single candidate does not have an opponent, there will be no forum.