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Perry County voters will have a choice when it comes to sheriff in August’s general primary, when incumbent Gary Schaaf, faces off with one of his deputies, school resource officer Teresa Worthington, for the Republican nomination.
Both candidates filed for office on Tuesday — the first day of filing for November’s general election — at the Perry County Clerk’s office.
Worthington announced her intention to run last week.
“After much thought and consideration, I feel compelled to further serve the people of Perry County and run for the position of your sheriff as a Republican candidate,” Worthington said in a news release
Schaaf, 63, will be seeking his eighth term. He has served as sheriff for 28 years and previously served as chief of the Perryville Police Department. He told the Republic-Monitor on Monday that he’s eager for another term and has a lot he still wants to accomplish as sheriff.
“I’ve got so many projects and future projects in the works,” Schaaf said. “I really want to stay here and see these through and get them implemented.”
Worthington, 45, is also a career law enforcement officer, beginning her career as a communications officer with the Perry County Sheriff’s Office before completing her academy training and becoming a patrol deputy and later, a patrol officer and DARE/public education officer for the Perryville Police, eventually becoming the department’s first female detective.
In 2017, she became the school resource officer — commissioned by the sheriff’s office — for Perry County School District, where she is tasked with maintaining the safety and security of students, along with establishing healthy relationships and trust between students and law enforcement.
“Having worked for both the Perry County Sheriff’s Department and the Perryville Police Department,” Worthington said in her statement, “I will work to foster an improved working relationship between the two departments and ensure they will work hand in hand together for the betterment of our communities.”
Worthington told the Republic-Monitor on Monday that her decision to run was prompted by a desire to bring a new viewpoint to the sheriff’s office.
“I just believe that we need some changes,” Worthington said.
In her release, Worthington cited a desire to “bring transparency and accountability” to the office and promised to be “fiscally responsible with your tax dollars by utilizing better budgeting and working closely with the County Commission to achieve this goal, like they have asked for in the past.”
Schaaf, who took office in 1993, began his law enforcement career in 1982, serving four years as a Perry County deputy, before taking office as Perryville Police Chief in 1986, a position he held until 1993, when he took office as sheriff.
In other county races, assessor Charles Triller filed for re-election, as did coroner William “Bill” Bohnert and District 1 associate commissioner Jay Wengert, while Jennifer Freeman filed for the public administrator’s office currently held by Tamara Tarrillion.
The largest field of candidates will be for the District 2 seat on the county commission. Veteran associate commissioner Jim Sutterer announced his impending retirement after three terms earlier this month, leaving the seat up for grabs in November.
Six candidates filed for the position on Tuesday.
“It’s pretty exciting to see so many people want to get involved in government,” said county clerk Jared Kutz.
The six candidates that have filed are — in no particular order — Keith Hoehn, Thomas Unger, Doug Martin, Todd Bergman, Chad Sutterer, and Daniel Miesner.
The primary election is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 4, with the general election set for Tuesday, Nov. 3. The final filing date for the 2020 general election is Tuesday, March 31.
