MANSFIELD, Ohio – Matt Mayer is ready to get back into law enforcement, announcing his candidacy for Richland County sheriff two years after retiring from the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.
Mayer will run as the Democratic candidate in the upcoming primary race, and is thus far unopposed. He will face either Republican incumbent Steve Sheldon – who was elected sheriff in 2004 and ran unopposed in 2008 and 2012 – or Republican challenger Jerry Botdorf in November 2016.
Mayer, 55, was employed with the Richland County Sheriff’s Office for just over 25 years, from March 1988 to November 2013. The former detective sergeant currently serves as a special deputy in the Sheriff’s Office and is ready to sit in the boss’ chair.
“I planned this from the beginning of my career,” said Mayer, who was hired in 1988 by Sheriff James Stierhoff. “I told [Stierhoff] that someday I’d like to run the office, and here it is 28 years later. It’s been my mindset from the get-go.”
Mayer had a mind for law enforcement at a young age. After graduating from Madison Comprehensive High School in 1979, he went on to earn a degree in criminology and criminal justice from The Ohio State University in 1986. Mayer graduated from the Ohio State Patrol Basics Police Officer’s Training Academy in 1988.
Mayer rose through the ranks in the sheriff’s office quickly, earning his detective status in 1991. He was promoted to patrol sergeant in 1995 and promoted again to detective sergeant in 1996, the position he eventually retired from.
Mayer has worked for Richland County Common Pleas Court services from May 2014 to present, but soon began to feel a sense of absence about working in the Sheriff’s Office.
“I thought it was time to retire for various reasons, but after working at the courthouse I got to thinking that doing the job up there wasn’t as fulfilling,” he said. “And I think I can make a difference.”
If elected, Mayer plans on focusing the majority of the sheriff’s office’s efforts on solving and preventing violent crime, property crime and drug crime. He said he has missed working with deputies and citizens alike in solving these crimes.
“I’m really going to try to focus on getting some unity amongst different divisions in the sheriff’s department and work with other agencies to approach these crimes,” said Mayer. “That’s where we have to focus our attention as far as manpower and finances, and if administrators have to jump in and help, so be it.”
Mayer also believes his administration should at all times try to boost the moral, confidence, and self-esteem of his deputies. He plans to recreate lieutenant and captain positions within the sheriff’s office, and have them become collected bargaining positions within the FOP Union.
“I think I can do a real good job getting employees to work together, build up self esteem and morale, and pass it on by doing good work in the community,” he said.
When it comes to challenges, Mayer sees budget and finances as number one.
“In my personal life I’m a hands-on person, I like to get involved directly but still pay attention to finances,” he said. “I think taking on a position with a more than $4 million budget and making sure all the financial resources are prioritized into trying to solve crime and the safety of my employees and citizens.”
Mayer is the son of the late Margaret Mayer and Judge James Mayer. He is one of 10 children, and brother to the late Prosecutor James Mayer Jr. and Judge Philip Mayer. He has been married for more than 30 years to his wife Beverly, and together they have three children and one grandchild.
“At age 55 I have some more time to help the citizens out and the entire administration,” he said.
The full biography of Matt Mayer, candidate for Richland County Sheriff.