photo by: Richard Gwin

Ken McGovern

Accompanied by a retinue of family, friends and staff, Ken McGovern took a short walk from the Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center to the Douglas County Courthouse to file Tuesday for his fourth term as Douglas County sheriff.

McGovern was the last county-level elected official to make known his 2016 election intentions, and he made his re-election bid official on the eve of the deadline for candidates to file or withdraw. The filing deadline for the 2016 election cycle is noon Wednesday.

After filing as a Republican at the Douglas County clerk’s office for another four-year term, McGovern said his department has successfully put in place the Douglas County Jail re-entry program he advocated for in his 2012 campaign. His interest in seeing current proposals completed — especially the county’s proposed three-pronged approach to improving the criminal justice system through the expansion of the county jail, construction of a crisis intervention center and mental health court — was a motivation in his re-election bid, he said.

Although any countywide referendum on funding a jail expansion or crisis intervention center is off the table for 2016, McGovern said he viewed their advocacy as going “hand in hand” with his campaign message and the mission of the sheriff’s office.

He also intends to tout the quality of people serving the county in his office, McGovern said.

“Law enforcement gets beat up a lot these days,” he said. “We have a lot of great officers and staff. I want to keep the focus on that. “

At this time, McGovern is running unopposed. That is true, too, of the other five incumbent county elected officials, all Democrats, seeking another four years in office. Although they announced their intentions in February, two incumbents made it official as the deadline neared. Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew filed Friday for his fifth term, and 3rd District Commissioner Nancy Thellman made it official Tuesday when she filed for her third term representing the district that includes eastern Lawrence precincts, Baldwin City and Eudora. Also seeking re-election are Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson, Douglas County Register of Deeds Kay Pesnell and Douglas County Treasurer Paula Gilchrist.

Despite the scarcity of filings for most county-level races, Democratic and Republican primaries are assured for the 3rd District County Commission seat. Candidates began filing for that seat in January when incumbent Republican Jim Flory announced he would not run for a third term. Democrats Bassem Chahine and Jim Weaver and Republicans Michelle Derusseau and Jim Denney have filed for the position that represents west Lawrence precincts and the western part of the county.

Candidates for township offices and Democratic and Republican precinct positions also need to file by the deadline. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, no candidates had filed for either open trustee or treasurer positions in Palmyra or Willow Springs townships or for treasurer in Wakarusa Township.