Cody Rose, one of the candidates for the Republican nomination for Marion County Sheriff. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
The Marion County Republican Central Committee has scheduled a caucus Tuesday night to determine their candidate to replace Kevin Cripps on the ballot in the November election. Cripps announced last week his decision to withdraw from the race and endorsed his chief deputy Anthony Decker to take his place. Marion County Board member and a state law enforcement official Cody Rose then announced his intentions to seek the nomination.
Marion County Republican Party Chair Ben Stratemeyer says the caucus will be held at 6:30 Tuesday night at the Iron Saddle on Cross Road. He reports the caucus is open to the public with the decision on the party’s candidate for sheriff to be decided by a paper ballot of the precinct committeemen in attendance. There are 28 of the committeemen representing the various election precincts in the county. They are elected, but usually draw little attention as their job is to work to promote Republican candidates. As a result of the caucus that has to be held prior to the Wednesday deadline to get a candidate on the ballot, the Marion County Board has moved its meeting back a day to Wednesday evening at 6:30 in the large courtroom at the courthouse.
WJBD-WSIQ news spoke to each of those seeking the sheriff’s position. Decker cited his experience and passion for the job starting as a communications officer and working his way up as a correctional officer, deputy, sergeant, detective and finally investigator and chief deputy.
“I’ve been a part of this office for the last almost three decades,” Decker said. “It’s been a great privilege and I have a lot of pride in serving the people of Marion County. It really is an honor. I’ve worked for seven sheriffs. I want to continue their legacies in striving to make the office a better place than it was before they came. I’d love to continue the tradition of the sheriffs in making this office a better and more professional law enforcement agency. The Sheriff is a constitutionally founded position and has a unique role of being a safeguard of our rights.
If elected, Decker would like to expand the school resource officer program to additional schools, make sure deputies and investigators are laser focused on crime, balance working with other agencies and serving the unincorporated areas of the county, work hard with the county board, and continue the office’s training programs.
Cody Rose cited a lengthy military and law enforcement career preparing him for the job.
“I’ve spent over twenty years in uniform, first in the army and then in law enforcement. As a third-generation law enforcement officer, Marion County is my home. I’m a sworn Illinois investigator for a statewide agency. I carry credentials with federal agencies in two different task forces, and I’ve served as assistant leader on two different tactical teams. My family has a deep history of local service here in Marion County. My grandfather was an early Marion County sheriff’s deputy. My father spent his career at Centralia police department, and then with the state agency.”
Rose says one of his sons is a 4th generation law enforcement officer working at the Centralia Correctional Center. He was an Army Airborne Ranger serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan and was honorably discharge as a Sergeant 1st Class. Rose says he decided to seek the position after seeing issues while serving on the county board and the need for leadership in county offices, as well as to eliminate mismanagement and political climate. He also wants government to be more transparent. His goal is to bring the same oversight he has brought to his county board position of supervising the county’s emergency management agency to the sheriff’s department.
Whoever wins the caucus will likely become the county’s new sheriff in December as the Democrats do not have a candidate. There is still time for write in candidates. The deadline is September 3rd.
