MARSHALL — It wasn’t an easy choice, Lyon County Sheriff Mark Mather said. However, after more than 30 years in public safety, he will be moving on.

“Basically, it’s time to turn the page,” Mather said Tuesday.

Mather presented members of the Lyon County Board with a letter announcing his decision not to file for re-election as county sheriff this year. Mather said he will serve the rest of his term as sheriff, and then retire in January.

Mather said he wanted to give notice of his decision not to run again, before the filing period for sheriff candidates began. Candidates can file for county offices from May 22 to June 5.

Mather has a long career with local and county law enforcement.

“This is all I’ve ever done,” Mather said. “It’s been 30 years (with the Sheriff’s Department), and I was in Tracy for three years prior to that.”

Although he’s been a Marshall resident for many years at this point, Mather is originally from Ely. He came to southwest Minnesota in 1985, when he joined the Tracy Police Department, he said. In the three decades since he joined the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy, Mather has moved up into different positions within the department. When previous Lyon County Sheriff Joel Dahl retired in 2008 before the end of his term, Mather was appointed interim sheriff. Mather won his first election for sheriff in 2010.

“Lyon County has been a great place to work,” especially because of the people, Mather said. “It takes a team to do everything we need to get done.”

In his letter announcing his plans to retire, Mather thanked the staff at the Sheriff’s Department for their work. He also thanked Lyon County residents for their support over the years.