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Brett LaRue

A former law enforcement officer and current business owner is running for a seat on the Douglas County Commission.

Brett LaRue, who owns and operates a home inspection service, filed for the county’s Second District seat as a Republican, according to a tweet from the Douglas County Clerk’s Office. The county’s Second District, which represents the eastern side of the county, is held by Commissioner Nancy Thellman, a Democrat.

LaRue told the Journal-World Friday that he had served for a decade in various positions with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. He later served two years with the Baldwin City Police Department, but retired after suffering a back injury in 2019. Since then, he has been operating his home inspection business, LaRue Inspection Service.

LaRue is a lifelong Douglas County resident, having grown up in a rural area just southwest of Lawrence. He graduated from Free State High School in 2001. He later attended Baker University, earning an associate degree in business, he said.

He now lives in rural Douglas County, about 5 miles east of Baldwin City, with his wife and 11-year-old son.

LaRue is the first Republican candidate to file for the Douglas County Commission’s Second District seat. Thellman, a Democrat, filed for reelection on Thursday.

The primary election will be Aug. 4. The filing deadline is noon Monday.