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Salem senator makes bid for Rockingham County sheriff

PORTSMOUTH — A state senator and former law enforcement officer from Salem has announced he will run for Rockingham County sheriff.

Republican Mike Downing, 55, made his bid official on Thursday and traveled to the Seacoast to visit with members of the Portsmouth Rotary Club as he begins his campaign.

Downing — a Laundromat business owner and state senator from District 22 — said he will look to bring "stability" and a fiscally responsible mindset to a Rockingham Country Sheriff's Department that was rocked by the results of a state investigation in late November of...

Downing to run for county sheriff

Michael Downing will leave his seat in the New Hampshire Senate to run for Rockingham County sheriff.

Downing, a Republican from Salem, has served in the Senate since 2006. He also served in the New Hampshire House from 1996 to 2002. He retired from a 20-year career in law enforcement in 1995.

Downing, 55, had been mulling a run since former Sheriff Dan Linehan resigned in November. He decided to make it...

Why I'm running for Rockingham Sheriff

Rockingham County voters will have the first opportunity in decades to choose from a number of candidates in the race for Rockingham County Sheriff and each candidate’s qualifications is what will prove to be the difference.

After a great deal of consideration and discussions with my family, I have decided to leave my position as the State Senator from District 22 and run for Rockingham County Sheriff.

The job of Sheriff is not just that of being a top law enforcement official, but it’s an administrative position which demands experience in leadership positions. My knowledge law enforcement, business and public policy make me uniquely qualified for Sheriff.

Growing up in Salem, New Hampshire, with a family of five sisters, and three brothers wasn’t easy, but it taught me compassionate values that I have carried with me throughout my life.

My wife, Heidi, and I run a small laundry business in Salem; we have five children and are active in the area with several charities and boards. I joined the State Police in 1976 because I developed an affinity for public safety. As my desire to serve grew stronger, I joined the Army and began my tour with the 82nd Airborne Division in Military Police. The Army was, and continues to be, a distinctive opportunity to give back to our Country and to meet and serve with many amazing individuals. I have carried on in my role as Captain of the Ancient and Honorable Military Company, which is the third oldest chartered military organization in the World, and the oldest in the Western Hemisphere.

Having served in the New Hampshire State Police, Salem Police Department, and 82nd Airborne Military Police, I have a full understanding of how various law enforcement organizations operate and what is needed to create stronger communications that result in a safer Rockingham County.

I have the skills and fundamental experience to be an effective manager and administrator for the office. As a Patrol Supervisor in the Salem Police Department, a former President of the Board of Directors of Salemhaven, a long-term care and skilled nursing facility, and a small business owner, I understand budgetary constraints and meeting a payroll.

Over the past four years, I have had the privilege of serving as the State Senator from District 22; which includes Salem, Atkinson, Pelham and Plaistow and I have a proven record of fighting for taxpayers to stop huge spending increases, higher taxes and cost shifting to local communities. As the next Rockingham County Sheriff, I’ll run a tight ship and stretch every dollar to extract as much value for taxpayers as possible.

Fiscal responsibility and public safety must be the top issues for the next Rockingham County Sheriff, but above all else, I pledge to uphold the Department’s Mission, which is to “provide public safety services…emphasizing professionalism, cooperation, competence and integrity, in order to foster a partnership which will preserve and improve the quality of life in Rockingham County.”

I appreciate your consideration and ask for your vote on Tuesday, September 14th.

(Mike Downing is a Republican State Senator from Salem running for Rockingham County Sheriff)