The race is on

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Yow challenges Cryer for Marshall County Sheriff Republican nomination

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  • CRYER
    CRYER
  • YOW
    YOW
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Most people know that this year is an election year. Along with the race for the ultimate official position as President of the United States, the position of Marshall County Sheriff is also up for election. The deadline to register and be added to the ballot is mid-April. At the current moment, two candidates have registered to run for the prestigious position of Marshall County Sheriff; incumbent Danny Cryer and Madill Police Chief Donald Yow.

There are a few requirements to get the opportunity to run for sheriff. The candidate must have been a Marshall County resident for at least six months, and the newly passed requirement, they must be a law officer in good standing with the Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training. Cryer said this will be the first election where that requirement is included.

One of the things that makes this election interesting – there are multiple – is that if a Democratic candidate does not file by the deadline, then the campaign for sheriff will run for approximately two and a half months; not a long time to campaign. As it currently stands, both candidates are Republican. The vote for party primaries is June 30. If no other party affiliates run, then the candidate who wins the Republican primary becomes sheriff. If a Democratic candidate registers before the deadline, then the June primaries will decide if either Cryer or Yow continues on to run against the Democrat in November.

The incumbent, Sheriff Danny Cryer, has lived in Marshall County his entire life, and has been in law enforcement for 22 years, serving his entire career with Marshall County. Even though he has had various job offers over the years, he has turned them down because ultimately, he wants to serve Marshall County. He said it goes back to being a hometown boy.

“My mom said it takes a village to raise a kid, well, Marshall County is my village,” Cryer said. “I still see my grade school teachers at Walmart. If I’m going to serve somebody, I’m going to serve the ones that put me here.”

He noted that it was the citizens of Marshall County who trusted him enough to elect him sheriff and he does not ever want to let them down.

“Until the voters decide they no longer want me here, I’ll be here,” he said. “My goal is to retire from this chair.”

Cryer said his experience is reflected by his history with the Sheriff’s Department.

“I started in law enforcement in 1997 as a reserve deputy for the sheriff’s office and worked as a volunteer for six years before taking a full-time deputy job which I worked until 2013,” Cryer said. “Then I was promoted to undersheriff, and when Sheriff Kent retired, I ran for the office of sheriff, where I sit today.”

Madill Police Chief Donald Yow made his announcement to run for sheriff via Facebook. He said he felt the calling to run for sheriff months ago, so he announced his bid.

Growing up in the Linn Community east of Madill, Yow has also lived in Marshall County his entire life. He has been in law enforcement for over 27 years, spending his entire career on the Madill police force.

“I started at the Madill Police Department as a patrol officer, and now the Chief of Police,” Yow stated. “I was Assistant Chief of Police for 14 years, and promoted to interim Chief of Police in December 2017, and promoted to Chief of Police in June 2018.”

Yow said he feels his experience as chief gives him the skill set to be sheriff.

“With being the current Chief of Police for two years, and serving as Assistant Chief of Police for 14 years, this has allowed me to work with people from Madill, Kingston and all of over the county,” Yow said. “These positions have allowed me to prepare and work with budgets and personnel.”

Both candidates want to serve Marshall County and its residents because of their love and ties to the community. Cryer wants to continue the tight-knight connections with the community that almost makes it a family.

Yow said he wants to serve with integrity, honor, compassion and respect, and “enforce the law and ensure public safety by working together in our communities.”

Cryer and Yow agree that it is going to be a tight race due to their life-long ties to the community and their law enforcement backgrounds. Cryer said he hopes the close competition does not drive a wedge between the residents and separate the community. He knows that his deputies have their opinions on which candidate should win, however, he has asked that they not discuss the election while on the clock.

“This is an already stressful job, the guys don’t need the added stress from the election,” Cryer noted.