Bart Richmond announces bid for Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office

FAIRFIELD - Jefferson County's chief deputy Bart Richmond is hoping to take on the mantle as sheriff and continue the work of retiring sheriff, Greggory Morton.

Richmond, who began his law enforcement career in 1992 with the Fairfield Police Department before moving to the Sheriff's Office in 1997, has served as chief deputy for both of Morton's terms in office, which began in 2013. Including Morton, Richmond has served under four sheriffs.

For the chief deputy, his vast experience may be his greatest asset as a candidate, according to the current sheriff. Morton, who is endorsing Richmond's run for office, said in addition to Richmond being 'incredibly knowledgeable,” the chief deputy also gets things done.

'Being second in command, Bart has a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders. He knows what I want done before anything is said. He knows what he's doing. I can walk away from something and know it's going to be taken care of. He's a great self-starter and great motivator,” Morton said.

The current sheriff added Richmond is not afraid to speak up and push back when something doesn't seem right.

'The reason I picked Bart [as my chief deputy] was because if I'm wrong, he'll tell me I'm wrong and challenges me on a lot of things. He keeps me grounded,” Morton said, 'You're getting somebody who has experience, who has a personality and he's got a great mind to get things done.”

As chief deputy, Richmond helps run the office and is in charge of overseeing extraditions, deals with questions of policy, and manages the jail team and the civil department.

The chief deputy believes his familiarity with the office makes him a good candidate for the job.

'A good sheriff is somebody that can wear different hats. They're dealing with the general public, different beliefs and people. On the other spectrum, you also have to be able to handle talking to employees. You're also in charge of a $3 million budget. I think I'm a pretty good candidate for how much experience I have,” Richmond said.

While the chief deputy does not have any major changes or projects he wants to propose, he said one of his areas of focus as sheriff would be continuing to build rapport with the community and its people. Richmond wants the public to know they are safe and can approach the office about any concerns.

'When it comes to the sheriff's office, they can call, they can talk to us. We encourage public relations, even if it's just to stop for a cup of coffee. I want that feeling that the county as a whole, our little dot in the world, feels safe,” he said.

Richmond said building and maintaining trust with the public is incredibly important to him and believes the office is already doing a great job in letting the public know the office is there to help. As sheriff, Richmond hopes people know they can come to him with any issue.

'I'm approachable. Anything you need, you can call anytime. Overall, the office itself will take care of anything you need to report,” he said.

In southeast Iowa, Henry County's sheriff Rich McNamee and Washington County's sheriff Jared Schneider have announced their intentions to run for the office in their respective areas. McNamee will be seeking a third term while Schneider is seeking his second. Currently, the three contenders in the three counties are running uncontested. The filing period for county positions is open until March 20 at 5 p.m.