Mike Wolanin | The Republic Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers announces his candidacy for mayor of Columbus during a gathering in the event space at Zaharakos in Columbus, Ind., Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022.
Former Bartholomew County Sheriff Matt Myers announced Tuesday he is dropping out of this year’s race for the GOP nomination for Columbus mayor.
Myers said he decided to end his mayoral campaign two months after announcing his candidacy after much thought and prayer.
“I have concluded that my heart’s desire is to bring my public service career to an end and to seek opportunities within the private sector,” Myers said.
Prevented by term limits from seeking a third consecutive term as sheriff, Myers had announced his intention to seek the GOP nomination this spring to succeed Mayor Jim Lienhoop on Nov. 9 – the day after the midterms. That was the same day that Lienhoop announced he would not seek reelection.
Since then, Myers aired television commercials and officially filed for the GOP mayoral nomination.
However, on Tuesday, he said although it had been his intention that when he completed his term as sheriff to seek the Columbus mayor’s job, he had a change of heart.
“Over the last 30 years I’ve been in law enforcement, I have put the public before my family in a lot of situations,” he said. “I’m at the age that I’m not willing to do that anymore.”
Myers said that looking over the past eight years as sheriff doing what the community wanted him to do, there was “a great pride in that — I left it all on the field.”
“But I have three kids and a grandbaby and I have other things now that I want to do,” he said. Among those things are writing a book, working in the private sector and spending more time with his children and grandchild.
Allowing that working in the public sector allows community members to over analyze and come to wrong perceptions about some things about public officials, not everyone did that in the past eight years to him, he said.
But at age 53, Myers said he doesn’t have to do that anymore.
“We have two good Republican candidates,” he said. “I do feel bad for my (campaign) committee but I think they understand. If I would have stayed in the race, I think I could have won, and if your heart’s not it and you are serving, that’s not fair to the community. When I served as sheriff, my heart was in it. But this doesn’t feel the same.”
Myers said making the decision to step out of the race was a result of self-reflection, prayer and thought, and said the Lord is steering him in a different direction.
“I don’t have a job to go to0 and that’s scary,” he said. “But I can tell you that over the last 30 years, what a blessing and an honor it is to think about helping the community. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just going to spend time with my grandbaby … I’m leaving with no regrets.”
Myers will stay on with the sheriff’s department through the end of February to assist in the transition as Sheriff Chris Lane takes over, and said after that, he will be “Matt Myers, private citizen.”
He wished the two GOP mayoral candidates Mary Ferdon and Milo Smith the best of luck.
Ferdon, director of administration and community development for the city, and Smith, a former state representative representing Columbus, submitted the paperwork for their candidacies on Jan. 4.
“I was surprised, and I want to wish him nothing but the best of luck for his future,” said Smith in response to the announcement.
Ferdon provided the following written statement: “I appreciate Matt Myers’ many years of service for the Columbus and Bartholomew County community. Law enforcement is his passion and he has committed his career to serving others. It takes courage to put yourself in the public eye and courage to move in a different direction. I wish him and his family well as he moves forward to the next phase in his life.”
As of Tuesday, no Democrats have announced their intention to run for mayor. However, the deadline for Bartholomew County residents to submit their paperwork to become a candidate in the May primary is Friday, Feb. 3.
The fact that Myers, who is in his mid-50s, will work over a month after his eight years as sheriff ended makes him vested to receive a pension from the county. He will also receive a city pension after serving 23 years on the Columbus Police Department prior to his 2014 election as sheriff.
While there was a discussion in 2020 whether Myers should receive a second pension, former sheriff and current Bartholomew County Council member Mark Gorbett said the eight-year-and-one-month requirement to become vested was to prevent a politician without law enforcement experience from being elected sheriff and getting retirements funds after eight years. In contrast, Myers has 30 years experience in law enforcement.
In addition, Myers worked for the sheriff’s department at least two months in a transitional capacity prior to being sworn into office at the end of 2014, the councilman said. While Gorbett added he offered to pay his soon-to-be successor for his time, Myers refused to take any money prior during the transition, he said.
“So Matt had already put in well at least two months over the eight years before he took office,” Gorbett said. “A lot of people don’t know that.”
Gorbett says he can imagine Myers’ reluctance, adding he considered running for mayor after his two terms as sheriff ended in late 2014. However, he eventually decided against it.
“Being a mayor is a huge responsibility,” Gorbett said. “After eight years as sheriff and 35 years of public service, I didn’t want another 400 employees that you worry about every day.”
He also described Ferdon and Smith as extremely qualified to become the next mayor.
— Republic Reporter Jana Wiersema and Editor Julie McClure contributed to this story.
