Sheriff Gunderson announces plans to retire

WALLACE — One way or another, a new face is set to take the helm of the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office in 2024, as Mike Gunderson recently announced his plans to step down later this year.

"I would like to take this opportunity to announce that after 32 years of public service in law enforcement to the citizens of Shoshone County, I will be retiring," Gunderson stated on social media last Friday.

After being diagnosed with a "personal medical condition" three years ago, he explained to the News-Press that his doctor strongly recommended that he reduce his stress levels — this largely meant retiring from law enforcement. Being a workaholic, this was not an easy decision, but he decided that it was the right one after consulting with those closest to him.

"It's going to be a challenge, but I'm not going to completely retire," he said. "Obviously I'll be working with the public and I'll probably be at the store with Mark and Anna Burger at Ace Hardware again. That's where I was before I decided to come back to law enforcement."

With his term not ending until January 2025, a temporary replacement must be selected until an election can be held.

How this process will work is that when Gunderson puts in his final date, which he anticipates will be in November, he will then submit a three-person list to the Shoshone County Democratic Committee, who will then rank those names by order of their preference. This ranked list is then submitted to the Shoshone County Board of County Commissioners for the selection of an interim sheriff.

Gunderson is free to select any three names he wishes (inside or out from the SCSO), but the BOCC is also not bound to the three names submitted to them if they find none of them are qualified.

Unless the selected interim sheriff decides to run for the position and win an election, they would serve out the remainder of Gunderson's most recent term.

The primary election for the position of Shoshone County Sheriff will be held in May 2024 and the general election in November of that same year.

When selecting the names of the interim sheriff to submit to the Democratic Committee, Gunderson wants someone who will keep the office moving forward.

"The biggest thing is to be able to work on the foundations that we have already laid in the last six years," he said. "I think we've done well working with and listening to the community. I want to make sure that they can continue with that."

Gunderson also believes that his successor, whether they be temporary or not, should play an active role and lead from the front.

"In big agencies, this position is really a political one,” he said. “They don't go out and work. I've kind of changed that by being out there just as much as the staff, so I want to make sure that we find somebody who's willing to be a working sheriff, be out there for the community, and look after their best interests."

Gunderson plans to start working in a limited capacity starting in July, then fully retire sometime in November.

"It has been a pleasure to have your confidence all these years and I hope to continue serving you, the citizens, in other ways in the future. Together, we did do better!"