By Jodi Hausen,Staff Writer

WILTON – Police Chief Wayne Gallant announced Friday he will run for Oxford County sheriff after Lloyd “Skip” Herrick retires next year.

Gallant told the Oxford County Democratic Party of his intentions the previous night.

Gallant, a Democrat from Rumford, said he plans to continue to work in Wilton in the coming year, and campaigning for the November 2006 election won’t affect his job there although he is intent on becoming sheriff.

“I have every intention of being sworn in as Oxford County sheriff in 2007,” Gallant said during an interview Friday with the Sun Journal.

“I’ve got the experience, capabilities and knowledge to successfully manage that agency,” he continued. What he plans to do in Oxford is no different than what he’s done in Wilton, he said.

“I like old houses,” he said. “Structurally they’re sound, but in need of some repairs and I like to refurbish. Oxford County has a good staff and that’s what’s intriguing to me.”

An Army sergeant in Vietnam, Gallant has been in public safety since 1980 when he became a patrol officer with the Rumford Police Department. Eight years later he was promoted to lieutenant/detective in charge of criminal investigations supervising 18 staff members. He was named Wilton police chief in February.

So far two Republicans and now two Democrats have announced their intentions to run for sheriff. On the Republican side are Lt. Christopher Wainwright of the Oxford County Sheriff’s Office and Bethel Police Chief Alan Carr. Running against Gallant in the June Democratic primary will be Lt. James Miclon, also from Oxford County Sheriff’s Office.

Oxford County police chiefs were non-committal in support for any one candidate Friday.

Dixfield Police Chief Richard Pickett, who had formerly considered a run for sheriff, said Friday he is “95 percent sure” he won’t run, but “you always leave the door open.”

At 55, he believes a sheriff should expect to serve for at least eight years and he doesn’t intend to continue in public safety at the age of 64.

“They all appear to be good candidates,” Paris police Chief David Verrier said Friday. He’d like to see the new sheriff create task forces to deal with violent crime, criminal investigation and drug-related crime.

Peter Nielsen, Wilton town manager, said the town is lucky to have Gallant.

“I’m going to be campaigning for his opponent to keep him here,” he said Friday.

Though he hasn’t come up with an official campaign slogan yet, Gallant said he’ll play it pretty straight.

“What you see is what you get, and what I say is what I’m going to do,” he said.