Summit County Sheriff John Minor announced Friday, Jan. 3, he will seek reelection in 2014.

The announcement, made at noon on the steps of the Old County Courthouse in Breckenridge, was accompanied by those of several other elected officials who will also be seeking reelection. Due to term limits, this would be Minor’s third and final term in office. He ran unopposed in the last two elections.

Minor, 48, a Republican, has been sheriff since 2004. He began his law enforcement career in 1990 as a corrections deputy with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office and later moved to the patrol division. In 1993, he joined the Silverthorne Police Department, where in 1997 he was promoted to sergeant; in 1999 he was asked to serve as the town’s interim police chief.

“I guess you could say it’s ‘Minor’s Last Stand,’” Minor said during his announcement. “I’m at the point in my career where I get to choose what I want to do. I love this community and I’m so proud of the men and women who serve this community every single day. It’s a privilege to live here and it’s a privilege to work here.”

Since taking office, Minor has instituted a Citizens Advisory Committee, which meets once a month to discuss concerns and issues with the community. He also was instrumental in developing both a Citizens Police Academy and Latino Police Academy, in cooperation with the local police departments.

“Relationships are key,” Minor said. “Not only with the community, but also amongst other response agencies. We work very closely with the Office of Emergency Management and the fire districts, especially when it comes to wildfires.”

Looking forward, Minor hopes to reinstate the school resource officer position, which was eliminated during budget cuts a few years ago, as well as focus on mental health issues in Summit County.

“I’d like to work with Mindsprings to help address the mental health concerns facing our community,” he said Friday. “We need to do a better job of reaching people when they’re struggling with milder issues — before they slide into crisis.”