SIDNEY — Shelby County Republican Party Executive Chairperson Julie L. Ehemann Friday announced that Sheriff John R. Lenhart from Jackson Center will seek a seventh term as Shelby County sheriff in November 2016.
Lenhart filed petitions Friday with the Shelby County Board of Elections to run as a Republican in the March 2016 primary. If successful in both the primary and subsequent November 2016 general election, Lenhart will take office on Jan. 2, 2017.
“Today I am proud to announce that Sheriff Lenhart will once again stand for election as he continues to serve Shelby County as our top law enforcement officer,” said Ehemann. “While John’s passion for service and his unique ability to implement innovative common-sense ideas have been recognized nationally, his focus has and always will be what’s best for his local community.”
In the summer of 2015, Lenhart received the 2015 Ferris E. Lucas Sheriff of the Year award from the National Sheriffs’ Association. The National Sheriffs’ Association established the Ferris E. Lucas award in 1995 to recognize an outstanding sheriff of the year for contributions made to improve the office of sheriff on the local, state and national levels, and for involvement in the community above and beyond the responsibilities required.
Lenhart has 47 years of law enforcement experience, which include six terms as Shelby County sheriff, superintendent of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and assistant attorney general and director of law enforcement with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
“I am both honored and humbled to have yet another chance to serve Shelby County as sheriff,” said Lenhart. “These are difficult times in our nation’s history. Drugs and random acts of senseless violence combine to leave our public in a general state of unrest for their basic security. I want to continue to work shoulder to shoulder with the honorable deputies and staff employed by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and other local agencies to keep our county a safe place to work and raise a family.”
