Four on primary ballot for Nicollet County Sheriff

By CHANCE PRIGGE

Journal Staff Writer

Four candidates will be on the ballot in Tuesday's primary elections for sheriff in Nicollet County.

On Wednesday, only two will come out victors and advance to the general election in November to replace Sheriff Jim Kollmann.

Loren Jansen

Loren Jansen of St. Peter said he's the best candidate because of the supervisory experience he's gained as a patrol sergeant for the St. Peter Police Department. Jansen has held the position for 15 of the 20 years he's been at the Police Department.

He also served as a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer in the St. Peter school system for six years and is a certified emergency manager through the Minnesota Department of Emergency Management.

In addition to getting more deputies on county roads, one of the biggest issues Jansen said he'd like to take on as sheriff would be running a cost-effective administration.

One possible approach to that, he said, would be looking at consolidating the St. Peter Police Department and Nicollet County Sheriff's Department dispatches, making the sheriff's office the chief dispatching office.

"It's a matter of wanting to provide professional customer service," he said.

Jansen said he's in a good position to look at such a possibility because he knows the right department heads and county administrators.

Jansen received a M.A. degree in public administration from Minnesota State University, Mankato in '91. He earned his bachelor's in criminal justice from Bemidji State University in '81.

He was born in Iowa and moved around with his family, settling down in St. Peter in '73. He graduated from St. Peter High School in '77.

This is Jansen's first run for the sheriff's office.

"I just felt I had the necessary skills to be a candidate," he said.

Brian Wieland

Brian Wieland of Lafayette also said his experience in law enforcement -- specifically Nicollet County -- is what makes him the best candidate.

Wieland, who was born and raised in New Ulm, started his career as a part-time dispatcher for the New Ulm Police Department in '72.

Two years later he took a full-time jailer dispatcher position in Nicollet County. In '81 Wieland became a deputy sheriff in the county, and in '95 he became criminal investigator.

Wieland, still a deputy sheriff, then took the position of jail administrator with the county, which he holds today.

It is in working those various jobs for the county in almost 30 years that Wieland said makes him a good fit for the position.

"I know the ins and outs," he said. "My experience working every aspect of the department ... I think is a big plus."

Wieland said there aren't a lot of big issues facing the sheriff this year.

But he, too, said he wants to do some hiring to make up for a lack of personnel at certain times.

"The deputies are off at 1 a.m.," Wieland said. "I think we need to be out there longer. We're off the road before the bars even close."

The majority of criminal activity takes place during the night, which the county needs to respond to, Wieland said, adding that even if they're out there and being seen as a deterrent they're accomplishing something.

Wieland said he's taken continual law enforcement classes during his jobs, but he doesn't have a college degree.

"When I started in law enforcement," he said, "having a degree was not needed at the time."

Wieland said he's learned a lot from the previous sheriffs he's worked under in Nicollet County.

Dave Lange

Experience is also a quality Dave Lange feels he has, both in law enforcement and in the county.

Lange, who lives south of Nicollet, has 16 years of law enforcement experience.

He started as a jailer dispatcher for Nicollet County. He was a part-time deputy his final year there in the early '90s.

He went on to North Mankato where he became a full-time patrol officer.

Lange graduated with a bachelor's degree in law enforcement from MSU in '91.

Lange has lived in Nicollet County all his life. He grew up on a farm between Nicollet and St. Peter and went to high school in Nicollet.

His familiarity with the area will be beneficial should he be elected, Lange said.

"It gives you a better touch of the people there in the county," Lange said.

He said the idea of serving as Nicollet County sheriff was something he considered when working in North Mankato.

"It's always something I've had in mind," Lange said. "I thought now was the time to do it."

While he doesn't have a laundry list of issues regarding county law enforcement, Lange said a shortage of Law enforcement staff in the county has become a concern, especially with growing populations in some of the county's cities.

"I'd like to see more patrol out there so the people on the west end of the county can see the deputies around more," he said.

Lange said his goal is to continue to provide county residents the quality of law enforcement they've been receiving under Kollmann's leadership.

Marc Chadderdon

Marc Chadderdon, who lives just east of Nicollet, said he's running with the support of his peers and the community.

Chadderdon said it's important to earn the trust and respect of the sheriff's staff and co-workers, adding that he has support from other Nicollet County deputies.

"I've got a lot of support in the community," he said.

He said his experience and education are assets to his candidacy.

Chadderdon graduated with a bachelor's in law enforcement from MSU in '94. That year he took on four jobs: working for the Le Center Police Department and Le Sueur County Sheriff's Office, and taking on the roles of police chief in Cleveland and dispatcher for Nicollet County.

In '95 Chadderdon became a deputy sheriff in Nicollet County, which he still holds today.

He was also elected to two terms of mayor in Nicollet starting in '98. He resigned in September after he and his family moved out of town, but he said it gave him good experience in budgetary matters.

Chadderdon said he's the candidate to vote for if people think the county's sheriff's office is well run. Changes, for the most part, aren't needed, he said.

One issue he would like to address, however, is how narcotics are investigated.

"We don't have the personnel or the funding," Chadderdon said. "To get the best value for your dollar, (the county has) to be a part of a drug task force."

Blue Earth County, Le Sueur County, North Mankato and St. Peter belong to a drug task force, Chadderdon said, but Nicollet County doesn't.