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Retired Bloomfield officer announces run for Morris sheriff

Peggy Wright
@PeggyWrightDR

   John G. Sierchio, a retired Bloomfield Police Department sergeant, announced Tuesday that he will seek the Republican nomination in June for Morris County sheriff, a move Sierchio said was prompted by Sheriff Edward V. Rochford's decision not to seek a ninth term.

John G. Sierchio of Boonton Township will seek the GOP nomination in the June 7 primary for Morris County sheriff

   A Boonton Township resident, Sierchio, 52, is the second Republican so far to declare his candidacy for the three-year, constitutionally-mandated position of county sheriff.  James Gannon, former deputy chief of investigations for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office and former global head of security risk for the pharmaceutical giant, Novartis, previously announced he would seek the GOP nomination for sheriff in the June 7 primary.

Current Morris County Undersheriff Richard Wall said he is planning to retire soon and is contemplating a run for sheriff.

Sierchio said he would not have run if Rochford planned a campaign for re-election but Rochford's intention to retire at the end of this year freed him to run, he said.

Sierchio said he had served as chairman of the state’s Police and Fireman’s Retirement System and currently is a member of the Boonton Township Board of Education. Sierchio said that he knows Gannon and respects his abilities as a lawman.

“First and foremost, the job of sheriff is to keep us safe, and my 27 years on the job every day – whether as a sheriff’s officer, police officer, detective or detective sergeant – provides me the real world, on-the-ground experience to confront the new realities of crime in Morris County in 2016,” stated Sierchio in a release announcing his candidacy.

He has served on the Bloomfield Police Department, the Essex County Police Department, and as an Essex County Sheriff’s Officer.

“There’s no one better equipped to fight the explosion of drugs, infiltration of gangs, and the crimes associated with these threats in our communities than me, because I’ve been doing it my entire life," he said.

“Other people may talk about saving taxpayer dollars and reforming government, but I’ve already been hard at work doing both,” said Sierchio, who served five years as chairman of the state’s Police and Fireman’s Retirement System and a total of 12 years on its Board of Trustees. “By shining a light on fraudulent pension claims, I saved millions of dollars for taxpayers and protected the savings of law-abiding citizens.”

Sierchio was appointed by Gov. Chris Christie to serve as a member of the Governor’s Transition Team in 2009, during which he served as a member of the Law and Public Safety Subcommittee.

Sierchio identified the following as goals if he is elected sheriff:

Institute a forensic, line-by-line auditing report of the Sheriff’s budget to investigate areas for saving taxpayer dollars. The report would be due within 100 days, at which time its findings would be acted upon.

Immediately convene a Sheriff’s Committee to combat the county’s growing opiate and heroin crisis, consisting of local officials, law enforcement, community leaders, and experts in the field of drug abuse prevention and recovery. The task force would issue its report with concrete recommendations within 100 days.

Meet with all local police chiefs to share intelligence, increase efficiences and enhance coordination of law enforcement resources in our towns, neighborhoods, and schools.

"Continuing Sheriff Rochford’s practice of refusing to accept the full sheriff’s salary," Sierchio said, he would accept only the minimum salary allowed by law. ($113,000)

 Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.