Orange City, Iowa — The Sheriff of Sioux County might not be the sheriff at this time next year, if what he hopes will happen actually happens.
Sheriff Dan Altena has announced that he is going to run for the Sioux County Board of Supervisors. He says the situation came on somewhat quickly.
He says that’s what made him think about speeding up his timing.
Altena tells us that if someone runs against him for the supervisor chair, and defeats Altena, then he would NOT retire, and would keep his position as Sheriff until his term ends in 2024. He says it wasn’t a snap decision.
If Altena is elected to the supervisor position and he retires as sheriff, the County Board of Supervisors can appoint someone to fill his term or can hold a special election. If the board decides to appoint someone, the citizens of the county could also petition for a special election instead.
Altena says his desire is to make Sioux County a better place to live, and when he retires from the sheriff’s office, he says he’d like to continue doing that.
Altena, who turns 63 on Saturday, jokes that when he was pondering what he would do when he eventually retires, he was thinking about something else to do to keep busy, as he doesn’t play golf. But seriously, he says he feels like he has the energy and the experience to do well as a supervisor.
Altena would have to defeat any Republican challengers at the Primary Election on Tuesday, June 2nd, and he would have to defeat any Democratic or other challengers who come forward — during the General Election on Tuesday, November 3rd to become a supervisor.
