The end of business Wednesday was the filing deadline for county candidates to get their name on the ballots for the June 7 Primary, and Carroll County is looking at two contested races. Mark Beardmore has announced he will not be seeking re-election to the District 5 Supervisors seat, but two Republican candidates, Tony Konkler and Richard Ruggles have thrown their hats into the ring. The second contested race is for that of Carroll County Sheriff. Democrat Bill Croghan and Republican Ken Pingrey are vying for that office. Pingrey, who has been appointed to the Sheriff position on the recommendation of retired Sheriff Doug Bass, says he is running because it is the next step in his long-term goals of serving the citizens of Carroll County.
Born and raised in Coon Rapids, Pingrey has only been away from our general area to obtain his criminal justice degree from Western Iowa Tech. After graduation, he served for 10 years with the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office before returning to his home county, where he has worked at the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office for the past 16 years. During these years, he has had his hand in nearly every field and administrative function of the office.
Pingrey also currently serves as chairperson of the Carroll County E-911 Commission and works closely with the Rolling Hills Mobile Crisis Team and the Jail Diversion Team. This experience, along with his drive to continue to keep Carroll County one of the safest places in the state to live are what he says will aid him in reaching those goals.
He said that communities are just starting to see the long-term effects of methamphetamine and how it ruins people’s minds and lives, so in addition to working to get drugs and offenders off the streets, Pingrey believes that education and prevention are important for the Sheriff’s Office to be involved in as well. Pingrey’s friends and family, including his wife of 25 years, Julie, and his two sons, Will and Levi who are currently in the Military Academy at West Point, are very supportive of his decision as the hard work begins. Pingrey said it is a long time until the General Election on Nov. 8, and in the meantime, he is looking forward to knocking on doors and meeting more Carroll County residents. You can learn more about Sheriff Pingrey through these links to his website and Facebook pages. We will bring you an interview with Democratic Sheriff candidate, Bill Croghan in an upcoming broadcast.
