Leelanau County Sheriff Michael F. Oltersdorf has declared that he will seek a fourth term in office and will run for the Republican nomination in the Aug. 5 Primary Election.

If Oltersdorf is re-elected and serves through 2012, he will become the second longest-serving Leelanau County Sheriff in history behind Bob White, who served six consecutive terms between 1939 to 1964. Oltersdorf was elected to his first term in 1996.

“My commitment is to keep Leelanau County a safe place in which to live, work, play and raise our families,” Oltersdorf said in a prepared statement. “My guiding principle has always been to make decisions that are in the best interest of the public that I serve. Our residents expect and deserve efficient and effective law enforcement and jail services. I pledge to continue that focus and always operate within our budget.”

Currently, Oltersdorf is facing no challengers in the Aug. 5 Primary – officially. Last year, county commissioner Mark Walter, also a Republican, declared his intent to run against Oltersdorf, but has yet to file with the County Clerk.

Earlier this year, Oltersdorf alerted Walter to some legal issues which the sheriff said might affect Walter’s eligibility to run for the sheriff’s office. Under the federal Hatch Act, people employed by agencies that receive federal funding may be limited in their ability to engage in partisan political activities without endangering federal funding for those agencies. Walter, the District No. 2 county commissioner, works fulltime as a lieutenant with the Michigan Department of Corrections. Both the county and the state corrections department receive small portions of their funding through the federal government.

Walter said that although he has received legal opinions from the Michigan Civil Service Commission indicating that there are no problems with his running or serving in a partisan political office, he will nonetheless follow Oltersdorf’s advice and seek a legal opinion from the federal Office of Special Counsel regarding the effect of the Hatch Act on his candidacy for sheriff.

Walter acknowledged that fellow Elmwood Township Republican James O’Rourke, a retired sheriff’s Deputy, was forced by the Hatch Act to step down from his seat on the Elmwood Township Board after he accepted a position with the federal Transportation Security Agency at Cherry Capital Airport. Walter said he had hoped that O’Rourke would run to fill the District No. 2 county commissioner’s seat vacated by Walter’s run for Sheriff – but that is no longer in the cards.

“I would hate to leave my position as a county commissioner without having a Jim O’Rourke or someone else as qualified as he is ready to step up and fill that position after I leave it,” Walter said. “I’ve spoken to a few other people about it, but I’m not able to name any names at this point.”

“Although I am still determined to run for sheriff,” Walter said, “out of an abundance of caution I will first seek a legal opinion on the possible effects of the Hatch Act before making a final decision.”

Meanwhile, Oltersdorf’s re-election campaign forges ahead.

“The Leelanau County Sheriff’s Office is a progressive, innovative and professional agency that is dedicated to serving our public,” Oltersdorf declared. “I will continue to provide leadership on the highest level and am proud to run on my record and accomplishments during the last three terms.”

Currently, Oltersdorf is the third-longest serving Leelanau County Sheriff. Frederick Buehrer was appointed Sheriff in 1971 to fill the unexpired term of Richard Steffens. Buehrer subsequently won the 1972 election and served until 1984 after 13 years in office. Bob White served for 24 years; and Oltersdorf has served 11 years so far.