REGIONAL— Among the candidates who will appear on the Aug. 9 primary ballot are the three men vying to replace longtime St. Louis County Sheriff Ross Litman. While it’s officially a non-partisan office, the primary will narrow the field to two candidates, who will then compete for the job ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.
It’s a key elected position in the county, since the sheriff oversees county jails and law enforcement throughout most of the county’s landmass, including all the rural areas not served by municipal police.
Among those seeking the position is Jason Lukovsky, who has served in the St. Louis County sheriff’s office for 24 years, including as undersheriff for more than a year. That makes him second in command behind Litman himself and it’s one reason that the Fredenburg Township resident is confident he has the experience necessary to oversee the Sheriff’s Department, its five subdivisions, and its approximately 280 employees.
“Effectively directing the people, divisions and offices of the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office is not something you pick up overnight,” states Lukovsky on his campaign website. “During my 24 years in the sheriff’s office, including in my current role as undersheriff, I’ve built relationships and mutual trust with citizens, community leaders, criminal justice partners and public safety personnel.”
Lukovsky comes to the race with a bevy of endorsements, including one from his boss, Sheriff Litman, who said he’s been supporting Lukovsky’s candidacy from the start. “I’ve held this spot for 20 years and I think I know what the job entails,” said Litman. “It’s clear to me who the best candidate is to lead this department.”
Litman, who has run the sheriff’s office since 2003 noted that he has promoted Lukovsky four times during his tenure. “I think he’s held every office in the department, except sheriff,” said Litman.
Lukovsky, in a sense, already had a trial run in the top job, noted Litman, whose wife died unexpectedly of a stroke last year. Litman had taken an extended leave in the aftermath of that tragedy and he said Lukovsky, who had just been promoted to undersheriff a few weeks earlier, didn’t miss a beat as he took over as the department’s interim boss. “It was seamless,” said Litman.
Lukovsky also has the endorsement of the Duluth Police Union Local 807, the St. Louis County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, the Duluth Police Lieutenants Union Local 363, the Duluth Central Labor Body, the NE Area Labor Council, as well as a number of other trade union endorsements.
Also in the running is Duluth native and former Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay, a position he held from 2006-2016, when he left to serve as police chief in Wichita, Kan. Ramsay left that position earlier this year. While in Wichita, population 400,000, he managed a staff of just under 1,000 and an annual budget of $110 million.
In announcing his bid for St. Louis County Sheriff back in March, Ramsay said his priorities include reducing crime and building relationships. “Covid has closed jails, created backlogs in the courts, stifled accountability, and left victims without justice,” states Ramsay on his campaign website. “Through strong leadership I will work to address these issues, implement community policing so community members have an understanding of what’s occurring in their areas, and build strong relationships with those we serve.”
Ramsay cites his passion for community collaboration as a way to reduce crime and improve police accountability. He established Duluth’s first-ever citizen review board as part of an effort to foster better relationships and increase trust between the DPD and city residents. During his time in Duluth, he also served as president of the Minnesota Police Chiefs Association.
During his six years in Wichita, Ramsay won good reviews for his community-building from the city’s top manager and the city’s mayor. He also won favorable reviews for his handling of the protests in the wake of the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
According to Ramsay’s website, the Wichita Police Department had been experiencing poor police-community relations and was the subject of weekly protests at the time of his arrival there. Ramsay states that those conditions improved during his tenure and that civil rights lawsuits against the city’s police declined by more than half during his six years in office there.
Ramsay didn’t leave Kansas without some criticism, however, particularly over his handling of racist texts and memes sent by some police officers under his command. Ramsay responded by requiring counseling for the officers involved. Others criticized that decision, arguing that under department policy the officers should have been suspended. Other reports indicate that Ramsay had originally favored terminating the officers over the incident, but that human resources officials at Wichita City Hall disagreed with that and prevented tougher action.
Ramsay has received a number of prominent endorsements, including from Roger Waller, another former Duluth police chief, now retired. He’s also won the backing of the former Wichita mayor as well as the former county sheriff in the Wichita area. Closer to home, he has the backing of Karen Diver, former tribal chair of the Fond du Lac Band, as well as Larry Cuffe, the mayor of Virginia.
The third candidate seeking the county’s top law enforcement job is Chad Walsh, a part-time Moose Lake police officer and gun store and firing range owner. Walsh has been actively campaigning and maintains a considerable yard sign presence in the northern part of the county.
He’s also had considerable success fund raising, reporting over $41,000 raised through June 22.
A Hermantown native, Walsh has served in law enforcement in the U.S. Army as well as South Dakota, before being hired by the Moose Lake Police Department. He’s also run a number of businesses, including a portable toilet business and, most recently, Dead On Arms, a gun store and indoor shooting range near Cloquet.
“I’ve lived all over the world and the United States, but I love living in northern Minnesota,” says Walsh on his campaign website. “Spending time with my family is also vital, as is making a contribution to the community, both as a business owner and through serving the public.”
Walsh said he wants to bring big changes to the sheriff’s office, to better involve members of the community and make greater use of technology in the department.
Walsh is arguably the most controversial candidate in the race. He’s flirted, at times, with fringe views, and recently campaigned during a showing of “2000 Mules” in Ely, where he appeared to voice support for the debunked conspiracy theory at the heart of the film, which falsely claims that the 2020 election was stolen by organized ballot stuffing across several swing states. Also appearing with Walsh at the event were two Republican candidates for office, including Roger Skraba, who is seeking the District 3A legislative seat, and Doug Wardlow who is challenging the GOP endorsed candidate for Minnesota Attorney General. Wardlow is currently head legal counsel for Mike Lindell and his company, My Pillow.
In addition to election fraud theories, Walsh touts his strong belief in acting as a “constitutional sheriff,” if elected. Among mainstream law enforcement, the constitutional sheriff’s movement is considered a fringe element, known for their belief in the supremacy of the county sheriff to refuse to enforce laws that they deem unconstitutional. That most often includes gun laws, public health measures, or federal land use regulations. The movement is associated with the county supremacy movement and other right-wing groups and ideas. The founder of the movement, Richard Mack, a former Arizona sheriff, also served on the board of the Oath Keepers, one of the extremist organizations involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“As a law enforcement officer, I agreed to abide by the law in everything I do on the job,” states Walsh on his campaign website. Walsh, however, was recently fined $750 by a panel of administrative law judges for failing to follow campaign finance laws. Walsh had urged the judges to impose a reprimand only, but the judges determined a fine was appropriate, writing: “Respondent Walsh’s expression of regret for “honest mistakes” falls short of demonstrating an understanding of the violations and an acceptance of responsibility for them.”
As for endorsements, Walsh recently won the backing of Jed Holewa, the chair of the Republican Party in St. Louis County.