By DENISE A. RAYMO
MALONE — Former Malone Village Police Chief Ron Reyome is running for Franklin County sheriff this fall.
The 49-year-old Democrat announced Thursday he hopes to succeed Sheriff Jack Pelkey, who decided not to seek re-election.
Reyome, who lives in Bangor, worked in the Village Police Department for 20 years, five as assistant chief and four as chief, before retiring in 2006.
Reyome has been working as an electrician and in plumbing and carpentry since then and serves as traffic-safety consultant with the county's Traffic Safety Board.
'MOST REWARDING'
"People have been encouraging me to run, and I have been thinking about it for a year and a half," he said.
"I talked it over with my wife and decided that working for the Police Department for 20 years was the most rewarding job I ever had. I missed it.
"And with my financial background and working with local government, I think you need someone in there with experience in the administration end of it.
"Every police chief and sheriff knows every dollar you spend is taxpayer money, and I will look carefully before I spend it," Reyome said. "And I don't just look at ways to save money but also to bring revenue in."
He also intends to use his experience to secure grant funds to be used to the best advantage in Franklin County.
BROUGHT IN FUNDS
Programs he implemented as police chief included charging storage fees for impounded vehicles, which he said earned the village $10,000 the first year.
He also said that under his administration, the department took in $100,000 as part of the Franklin County Narcotics and Border Task Force.
"For the first time, we were able to have an asset-seizure fund, and we used it to buy uniforms, three vehicles for the Police Department, a new phone system was installed and heating and air conditioning.
"And all of that was done without costing the taxpayers any money."
CAMPAIGN PLANS
He said his campaign will take him to fire departments, civic organizations and other gatherings around the county, where he hopes to meet as many of the county's 28,000 registered voters as he can.
"I won't get to speak to all 28,000, but I want to talk to as many as I can and hear what people want and what people expect from the sheriff.
"I think the next sheriff won't be so much about law enforcement as it will be about administration, financial administration. I have experience with budgets and am very contentious about where money is spent."
CLEARED TO RUN
Reyome said he received written clearance last week from the Hatch Act Advisory Board that his candidacy does not violate the guidelines that prohibit someone from seeking or holding public office if his employer receives federal funding.
"If that would have been a problem, I would have resigned from the Traffic Safety Board reluctantly. But I was advised, because I am a consultant and not an employee, I was not in violation."
Reyome began his police career in 1986 as a patrolman and was one of the first 50 people in the state to become DARE officers.
He was appointed juvenile-aid officer at the department in 1990 and was named assistant chief in 1997 before becoming interim chief and then chief of police on June 23, 2003.
He and his wife, Kelly, have four children between them and six grandchildren.
E-mail Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com
