/usr/web/www.marshallindependent.com/wp-content/themes/coreV2/single.php
×

Wallen to run for Lyon County Sheriff

MARSHALL — A 20-year member of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department will be entering the race for sheriff this fall. Sgt. Eric Wallen said this week that he plans to file for sheriff when the filing period opens later this month.

Wallen said running for sheriff was something that he had been considering for a while.

“I’ve really enjoyed working for the Sheriff’s Office,” and serving the people of Lyon County, Wallen said. “I think I have the experience and ability to take the department into the next decade.”

The position of Lyon County sheriff will be up for election in November. On Tuesday, current Sheriff Mark Mather told county commissioners that he won’t be filing for re-election. Mather said he plans to retire at the end of his term in January.

Mather has been with the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department for 30 years and has served as sheriff since 2008.

Wallen has also been part of the area community and the Sheriff’s Department for a long time. Wallen is a Marshall resident and a graduate of Minneota High School and Southwest Minnesota State University. Wallen said he’s been with the Sheriff’s Department for 20 years, and has experience with different aspects of county law enforcement, including working in the county jail, patrolling, investigations, and managing the county dispatch. He has been a sergeant for eight years. As sergeant, he supervises day-to-day operations in the department, he said.

Wallen said he sees a few key challenges that he would like the Sheriff’s Department to address in the future. One is the mental health crisis affecting Minnesotans, including people in our area.

“I think it’s something we need to work on more collaboratively with mental health services,” Wallen said.

Another priority would be addressing concerns about increasing violence in schools and public places and working to keep weapons out of the hands of people who intend to do harm, Wallen said.

Some challenges facing county law enforcement are ongoing ones.

“I wold like to keep up efforts to combat illegal drug use,” Wallen said. Methamphetamine use, as well as opiate and prescription drug abuse, are concerns in the area, he said.

“I’m a very fiscally cognizant person,” who understands the need to watch costs while still providing good service to the county, Wallen said. Managing costs isn’t just a matter of finding fat to cut from the budget, he said. “We probably will need to be innovative about how we do things.”

That innovation could include sharing resources or collaborating with other area agencies, or making use of cross-training or education, Wallen said.

Besides his work with the Sheriff’s Department, Wallen is active in the local community. He and his family live in Marshall, and Wallen is involved in the local Lions and Rotary clubs. He is a member of the New Horizons Crisis Center board of directors, and the Marshall Area Youth Baseball Association board. Wallen is also a youth baseball coach.

The filing period for Lyon County offices runs from May 22 until June 5.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today