NEW SHARON — Scott Nichols Sr. is running on the Republican ticket as a candidate for sheriff of Franklin County this year.

Nichols is chief of police in Carrabassett Valley, a position he has held since 2008. He graduated from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in 1984 and has more than 27 years of experience in law enforcement.

After consulting with his wife, family and the leadership of Carrabassett Valley, he decided to put his 27-plus years of law enforcement experience to work for all of Franklin County.

The ideas, concerns and insight from citizens in the county are extremely important to him. Campaign staff  is busy setting up “Meet and Greet” nights throughout the county, with the first being held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 30, at Sugarloaf Ambulance/Rescue in Wilton.

Other Meet and Greets are scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at Saddleback’s Swig ‘n Smelt Pub in Rangeley; and at the Industry Town Hall with a date and time to be announced.

Nichols was born and raised in Farmington and is a graduate of Mt. Blue High School. After graduation, he joined the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and served three years. He continued his military service for an additional three years in the Army Reserve and National Guard.

He and wife, Lorna, have been married more than 27 years and have spent the past 25 years in New Sharon. They have two children, Scott Jr. and Katelyn, both veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Katelyn is still serving with the Air National Guard out of Bangor and will deploy again in the spring.

Updates and information are available on the campaign’s Facebook page: “Scott Nichols Sr. for Franklin County, Maine Sheriff 2012,” or by email at [email protected]. A website soon will be launched with information and updates.

If you would like to host or provide space in your community for a Meet and Greet night, please contact the campaign soon.

Career highlights

His career began as a state trooper patrolling in Franklin County. In 1994, he was promoted to detective in the Criminal Investigation Division of the Maine State Police. That unit is responsible for investigating major crimes in the state, including homicide and child abuse investigations.

In 1999, he was promoted to sergeant in the CID and supervised five detectives in the same unit. During his career with the Maine State Police, he earned an associate degree in applied science (law enforcement technology) from Southern Maine Technical College. He also became a cadre supervisor at the Criminal Justice Academy and oversaw the training of new police officers at the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program. During his tenure with the state police, he spent 15 years as a member of the Tactical (SWAT) Team where he received two medals for bravery and one for meritorious service.

Upon his retirement from the Maine State Police in 2004, he became a security contractor for the U.S. State Department in Iraq. While there he was a team leader of seven civilian police officers. Their job was to work with Iraqi police units north of Baghdad.

After fulfilling his one-year contract in 2005, he returned to Maine and again worked for the Maine State Police as a trooper patrolling Franklin County.

“This was a great opportunity to reconnect with ‘the road’ and the citizens of the county,” he said.