Hoffman submits resignation
T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM — As of Monday, Steve Hoffman resigned his position as the Marshall County Sheriff. The Marshall County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting on Wednesday to decide how to move forward.
T-R PHOTOS BY LANA BRADSTREAM — As of Monday, Steve Hoffman resigned his position as the Marshall County Sheriff. The Marshall County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting on Wednesday to decide how to move forward.
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Effective at 5 p.m. on Monday, Marshall County Sheriff Steve Hoffman will resign from his position.
Marshall County Auditor Nan Benson confirmed the news, saying Hoffman emailed her a letter stating the time of his resignation. The email was sent after 5 p.m. on Friday.
“He will no longer be sheriff as of 5 p.m.,” she said.
Hoffman's letter began with addressing the calls for resignation from Supervisor Dave Thompson. The sheriff wrote perhaps Thompson and others do not see the value in a transition period, or that he has continued to work every day for Marshall County residents. Hoffman wrote, for the record, he was driving his personal vehicles out of the county for his new duties with the Polk County Sheriff's Office.
"It is unfortunate that our board of supervisors, classified as full-time, collecting full-time benefits, are able to run their businesses, farms, etc., yet their chair calls for my resignation when it has been made clear that I only intended a relatively brief, overlapping period to facilitate the finalization of projects, aid transition and guide us through the revenue challenges, which are recovering, despite the continued presence of the COVID-19 pandemic," Hoffman wrote.
He believed the Sheriff's Office would benefit from his extended presence, since it is already short staffed.
Hoffman wanted to be clear he did not seek out the chief position with the Polk County Sheriff, which will provide him with an extra $50,000 per year. He wrote having been elected twice by Marshall County residents was the greatest professional honor since he started his law enforcement career 30 years ago in Gilman.
"As the pursuit to attack my character, motives and decades of service will become an increasing distraction to my office and offensive and hurtful to my family, I yield," Hoffman wrote in the last paragraph before ending his letter with the time of his vacancy.
Immediately after Benson read the letter, she forwarded it to the Marshall County Board of Supervisors. A special meeting to accept the resignation and to decide the best way for the county to proceed has been scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.
“They will have to either appoint someone or go to special election,” Benson said.
She said to cover the time between Hoffman’s official departure and when the next person is put in his place, the sheriff’s office will be operated by the second in command, such as Deputy Chief Joel Phillips and Jail Administrator Pat White. Benson said it will be similar to whenever Hoffman would take vacation.
She suspects the supervisors will want to appoint someone to replace Hoffman, but applicants must be received.
“If we get zero applicants, we will have to have a special election,” Benson said. “Cost-wise, appointing someone will be the best decision, but we have to see who we can get to apply. Either way, the person will need to run and be on the ballot in 2022.”
Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 or lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.