Thursday, January 10, 2008

Dunnaway says no to 7th term as Jefferson County Sheriff

by Kenneth Lassiter

With all but one of the county’s eight elected officials coming up for re-election this fall, only one plans to not run for another term, and is choosing instead to retire.

Sheriff Roy Dunnaway said Friday he would not seek a seventh term as sheriff, and may in fact retire before his term concludes this year. Dunnaway, 65, has been sheriff since 1983. Over his six terms, he only had opposition twice in his run for office. Prior to taking office as sheriff, Dunnaway was chief of police in Perry while also holding down a job at Santa Fe. He later patrolled the lake for the sheriff’s department before taking over for Carl Eisenhower as sheriff in 1983.

“I think it’s time for a younger person to take it over,” Dunnaway said of the sheriff’s duty.

Undersheriff Jeff Herrig, who has served as second-in-command at the sheriff’s department since 1994 and has been with the department since 1983, said he does plan to run for the sheriff’s position this fall.

Two officials up for re-election said they were undecided whether they would run for re-election. County Attorney Mike Hayes said he hadn’t made up his mind, as did District 2 County Commissioner David Christy. Christy said he planned to wait and see how his constituents in the southwest part of the county felt before making that decision.

“I’ll decide based on whether or not my constituents want me to run again,” Christy said. “That’s why I ran the first time.”

District 3 County Commissioner Francis Grollmes said he would run for a fourth term in office.

“I’ve been asked by a few people to run again, so I figured I would,” Grollmes said. “I told them the people voted me in and I guess I’ll let them vote me out.”

Grollmes may have some competition, as Richard Malm of Valley Falls is a possible candidate for 3rd District commissioner.

“I’m talking to precinct committee people now,” he said. “Then I’ll decide.”

Malm, a Republican, was county commissioner from 1981 to 1989.

County Treasurer Mary Underwood, County Clerk Linda Buttron and Register of Deeds Delia Heston all indicated they would run for another term in their offices.

The filing deadline to run for the county offices is June 10.