State House Majority Floor Leader Rep. Triston Cole (R-Mancelona) is running for Antrim County Sheriff.
Cole has represented northern Michigan’s 105th district - which includes parts of Antrim, Otsego, Charlevoix, Montmorency and Oscoda counties - in the state house since 2014.
He will run against current Sheriff Dan Bean, also a Republican, who has almost 40 years of law enforcement experience.
Cole says confusion over enforcement of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “stay at home” order pushed him into the race.
"Having relationships at the state level to get answers from lawmakers (and) being able to convey what’s happening at the state level, how it applies to the county, and what is allowed and what’s not allowed," Cole said, are all things that need to be better addressed.
In early April sheriffs in Michigan’s 101st district said they would only selectively enforce Whitmer’s “stay at home” order. Bean said he’s relying on the county prosecutor to determine who is violating it.
As far as the race for sheriff, Bean says having a law enforcement background should be a requirement of the job.
"Triston’s been in Lansing six years as a state rep, which has nothing to do with law enforcement," Bean said.
Cole will wrap up his third and final term in the state house later this year.