EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second in a two-part series looking at the sheriff’s race in the Republican Primary. A story on challenger Jerry Botdorf appeared on Sunday at RichlandSource.com.
MANSFIELD, Ohio — Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon points to his experience as the top reason residents should re-elect him.
He faces a challenge from Jerry Botdorf for his seat in the March 15 primary.
Sheldon, who has served Richland County as sheriff since 2005, began his career in law enforcement in 1974 when he was sworn in as an officer for the Crestline Police Department. He then moved on to the sheriff’s department, the Mansfield Police Department and then back to the sheriff’s office.
“The biggest thing I bring to the table is experience. I have more experience than either one of them (including democrat candidate Matt Mayer). I have more education than either one of them, and I have three terms as the current sheriff. I know how this operation works,” Sheldon said.
During those 42 years in law enforcement, whether with the sheriff’s department or MPD, Sheldon said he has experienced many different positions that equipped him for his job.
“When I was with the sheriff’s department, I was a sergeant and I was a K9 officer. When I was at Mansfield PD, I was a patrol officer, a K9 officer, sergeant, lieutenant, captain,” Sheldon said. “When I left the city (MPD), I was administrative assistant for the city. That prepared me for this job.”
Sheldon said a lengthy tenure naturally leads to some regrets.
“Are there things in my career that I would change? Yeah, maybe there are. Or there’s different decisions I would make. But hindsight’s 20/20,” Sheldon said. “Maybe some expenditures sometimes. Maybe some discipline, maybe the way or direction a case has gone.”
Sheldon noted he and the department have had lawsuits filed against them — but none that resulted in tax money spent in court.
“So have other law enforcement agencies. It’s just part of the job,” Sheldon explained.
However, he also pointed to numerous achievements he has garnered through his career. He said he had deputies from the sheriff’s department compile a list of those achievements and it produced a seven-page document.
The document trumpets the establishment and re-establishment of different programs like DARE, the K9 Unit, the RSCO Violent Crimes Impact Team, the Starfish Project and the MARC radio system.
According to the document, the sheriff’s office is funded to hire five deputies in 2016.
“I have seven pages here of things that the sheriff’s office has done since I’ve been sheriff. That’s not bad stuff, this is all good stuff,” Sheldon said. “And for people to insinuate that I’ve done something wrong or that this agency’s done something wrong is totally off-base.”
