Sheriff Jason Myers (Courtesy/Marion County Sheriff’s Office)
After a decade on the job, Marion County Sheriff Jason Myers will step down in June to work for the Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association.
Myers told his staff of the decision Tuesday.
“It’s been a great job and I’ve enjoyed working for the community,” he said in an interview Wednesday.
He is leaving for a job coordinating training and lobbying for the Salem-based sheriffs association, he said.
Myers said he’s been considering retirement for a while but wasn’t ready until the job came up. He started work with the sheriff’s office in 1989 as a summer park cadet, and was hired as a regular deputy a year later.
He was re-elected to his third term as sheriff in November. Myers said he considered not running but wasn’t yet ready to leave.
Marion County commissioners will appoint a replacement, who would serve until an election in 2020.
Myers said he would support Commander Joe Kast, who has expressed interest in the job.
The Board of Commissioners appointed Myers as sheriff on Sept. 30, 2009, following the retirement of Sheriff Russ Isham. He ran unopposed in 2010, 2014 and 2018.
Reporter Rachel Alexander: (503) 575-1241 or [email protected]
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
