Pickaway County – A tenacious run for Pickaway County Sheriff will end tonight after a two-Republican run.
Current Sheriff Mathew O Hafey is running for his second term in office since defeating Robert Radcliff. Sheriff Hafey is a Graduate of Teays Valley schools, an Eagle Scout with the Cub Scouts, a Navy Veteran who served in Washington DC at the Arlington Nationa Cemetery, Pentagon, and White House. When he left the Navy he came home to Pickaway County where he eventually started a career at the Circleville Police Department as a communications/jail officer. During his employment, Hafey went back to school and got his degrees in Law enforcement where he eventually became an officer and then a Sergeant. Hafey ran for Sheriff with the goal of improving the interdepartmental relationships between all law enforcement in the county.
Dale Thomas is running for his first political position in the county. Thomas is a Westfall graduate. Dale after high school attended College and started work with the Pickaway County Sheriffs office in 1992 where he worked many years as a DARE Officer. Dale retired from the Pickaway County Sheriff’s Office on December 31, 2020, a day before Hafey took office. He then went to Ross County where he has been working ever since. Dale is running on building trust with the public and understands what is needed to be an effective leader.
Updates at 9 pm 43 of 43 Precincts reported
Mathew Hafey 5,542 votes
Dale Thomas 5,406
It may be a while before the rest of the votes are done