A Republican candidate who unsuccessfully challenged then-Sheriff Clarence Dupnik in 2012 is running for the job this year.
Mark Napier formally announced his candidacy for Pima County sheriff at a Tucson Republican Womenβs luncheon on Monday.
βThe organization needs change,β Napier said Tuesday. βItβs been under the same leadership for 30 years, and thereβs a considerable amount of room for improvement.β
On March 10, Napier and two other potential candidates met with the Pima County Deputy Sheriffβs Association and Fraternal Order of Police for an informal interview.
At the time, he hadnβt made a definitive decision to run, but things changed when it became likely that no one else was going to run, presumably against Sheriff Chris Nanos, who has yet to announce his plans.
In the end, it was his family who helped him decide.
βMy wife asked me, βIf (our son) worked for the sheriffβs department, what would you want someone to do?β β Napier said.
His son is a Tucson police officer. Napier said issues at the sheriffβs department made it clear that running was the right thing to do.
After spending 21 years working for the Tucson Police Department, Napier became associate director of operations for the University of Arizonaβs Parking and Transportation Services.
Heβs running as a Republican, but said the sheriffβs election shouldnβt be decided by party affiliation.
βPublic safety is not a partisan issue, itβs a quality of life issue,β Napier said.
In the 2012 election, Napier ended up with 46 percent of the vote to Dupnikβs 51 percent.
