During this political campaign season our national elections carry most of the attention, however, I believe that the foundation of good government starts with involved voters paying attention to local and state candidates for office as well. I urge the citizens of Marshall County to invest a little time researching the folks running for those local offices and to become familiar with who they are. Specifically, I am referencing the office of Marshall County Sheriff. It is vital to good law enforcement that we choose a leader with a solid background in the areas of training, knowledge and experience.

It is equally important for this person to have solid values and commitment to this profession. That person is the current chief deputy sheriff and long time peace office Steve Hoffman.

Steve has the necessary experience and background in the various divisions of the sheriff’s office, including the jail, civil work, patrol, criminal investigations and administration. His years of continuous service and well-rounded experience, exemplify his dedication to a profession that often finds itself in the spotlight these days, whether it be a successful and high-profile case and arrests, or because of controversy surrounding an incident and the way it was handled. It is truly a serious business, and real qualifications are not things to be taken for granted.

I worked many years with Steve at the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office involving activities that included criminal investigations, drug investigations with the Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force, and also shared administrative duties when he served as chief jailer and I as chief deputy. I believe Steve has prepared himself for this position and is the professional to fill this office.

Please do some checking before you cast your truly important vote this November. I hope you will agree with me that values, commitment and solid experience are important qualities for this office, and that you will vote for Steve Hoffman for sheriff of Marshall County.