CANTON, New York (WWNY) – Sean O’Brien has withdrawn from the race for St. Lawrence County sheriff.
“After great consideration and in consultation with my family, I have decided to suspend my campaign,” O’Brien said in a prepared statement.
O’Brien, the current undersheriff, was recently defeated in the primary for the Republican line on the ballot.
Rick Engle, a detective in the sheriff’s office, received 65 percent of the vote.
However, O’Brien planned to run on the Conservative line in November’s general election.
According to the county’s Board of Elections, O’Brien declined the Conservative Party’s line on Friday and withdrew from the race.
“It has been a pleasure and one of my greatest honors serving the community for the last 20 years. I respect the Republican electorate and will move forward with the next chapter in my life,” O’Brien said in the statement. “I sincerely appreciate all of our supporters, their time, and dedication to my campaign. I’d especially like to thank the Conservative party for having the confidence in me as their candidate and for their genuine and unwavering support throughout this process. I am looking forward to a brighter, more peaceful, and positive future for me and my family. Again, thank you and am infinitely grateful to those who supported and believed in my vision for St. Lawrence County.”
Board of Elections officials say the Conservative Party has until July 11 to put forward another candidate for the position.
If there’s no candidate, Engle will run unopposed for sheriff.
“I’ve still got to focus on my campaign but I can put a little more focus on the administrative side of things as well now,” said Engle. “I know who my undersheriff is going to be. We’ve had our talks. We’ve got a plan. First off, we’ve got to start within the office, you know, we’ve got to get everybody motivated.”
Engle says he will name Detective Sergeant Shawn McCargar as his undersheriff. He said O’Brien won’t be part of the sheriff’s office.
Engle also says he plans to serve as sheriff for 8 to 12 years – meaning 2 to 3 terms in office.
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