It’s not official yet, but Anthony Maness plans for a smooth transition when he takes office as sheriff in January.
Maness defeated incumbent Sheriff Bryan Murphy in Tuesday’s Republican primary election. Technically, those results aren’t official until county commissioners canvass the votes on Aug. 15. No Democrat or Independent candidate has filed for the seat, so Maness should win the general election in November unless someone launches a successful write-in campaign.
“To use a cliche, I don’t want to count my chickens before they hatch but I’m moving forward with planning for the transition,” Maness said Wednesday morning. “I’m excited but I don’t want to get too comfortable. I’m looking forward to this new chapter.”
Maness said he hopes to work with Murphy and staff over the next few months to prepare for the change in leadership.
Efforts to contact Murphy Wednesday morning were unsuccessful. He was not at the sheriff’s office nor did he respond to phone calls from the Register.
Murphy has worked in law enforcement for 32 years, with about 20 in Allen County. He was first elected sheriff in 2012.
MANESS also is a longtime law enforcement officer who currently leads the criminal justice program at Allen Community College. He’ll continue to teach at ACC this fall and work with administrators to prepare for that transition, as well.
“My relationship with the college is not ending, it’s just changing,” he said. “I believe in the program and will support it any way I can.”
Maness said he’s proud of his campaign and especially the team of family and friends who helped. His wife, Sherise, and children helped not only with emotional support, but his oldest son also took the lead creating digital content on social media. Maness and several friends attended events and knocked on doors to talk with potential voters.
“I had a good team and I think that’s symbolic of my view for the sheriff’s office. It’s about being a leader who creates an environment to empower others to do great things,” he said. “There’s a lot to be said about surrounding yourself with people who believe in your vision and help achieve your goals.”
Maness previously worked for the sheriff’s department under Murphy and said he believes both candidates “ran a clean campaign and focused on what we have to offer.”
Maness said he believes he won because his message resonated with voters, rather than any specific complaint against his opponent. Maness said he hopes to provide training, leadership, accountability and transparency as sheriff.
“Ideally, you keep the public informed consistently enough that they trust you, but if the public is asking for information that you can’t share, you can say, ‘I’m aware and it’s being addressed,’” he said.
Last year, Murphy and others supported a failed bond issue to renovate the courthouse because of security concerns. The issue came up during a candidate forum in July.
“I think that conversation still needs to be had. We need to continue to figure out how to improve safety, so what’s our plan?” Maness said.
