POCATELLO — Bannock County Sheriff Lorin Nielsen is eyeing a promotion within the county and so is one of his top deputies.

During a press conference from the front steps of the Bannock County Courthouse Thursday afternoon, Nielsen publicly announced plans to run against incumbent Ernie Moser in the November election for Bannock County Commission.

Furthermore, Lt. Tony Manu of the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division is vying to replace Nielsen as county sheriff.

“I announced the first part this month that I was retiring and also hinted at the possibility of running for county offices,” Nielsen said. “What I have learned since then is that I can run for a county commissioner seat because I’ve said I’m not running for sheriff. I turned my packet into the Secretary of State’s Office on Tuesday and am running for commissioner seat No. 1 against Ernie Moser.”

Manu added, “After my seventh or eighth year with the department, I realized becoming the sheriff was definitely a goal of mine. That’s when I started going in for promotional interviews and realized this was going to be a lifelong career, and serving as sheriff is definitely in the realm of possibilities.”

Manu is the only person to announce his candidacy for sheriff in Bannock County thus far.

To ensure he doesn’t lose out on state retirement benefits from a 43-year career with the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Nielsen will resign from his position on June 30, at which point the County Commission will select an interim sheriff to serve until the winner of November’s election assumes office in January 2021.

To receive his state retirement benefits, Nielsen must not serve in an elected capacity for six months following his resignation. Originally, Nielsen announced earlier this month he intended to remain in his capacity as sheriff until his term expired at the end of the year.

“At the time that I made the initial announcement I was unaware that this was the demand for getting my retirement benefits,” Nielsen said. “I will resign about six months exactly before I would be sworn in, that is if I win the upcoming election. I don’t think I told a falsehood; it’s just that things had changed.”

Nielsen has filed to run as an independent candidate, adding that he thinks party affiliations have caused too much polarity and division in recent years.

Moreover, Nielsen said he hopes to bring a sense of balance to the commission and that he doesn’t harbor any ill feelings toward the current commissioners.

“But I do think the commission had some major problems last year,” Nielsen said. “We have had the issue with arguments in county offices and we have had some issues with, in my opinion, transparency.”

Nielsen continued, “The commission has not been open with some issues like the property tax situation. There is a disconnect between the commission and other county elected officials and all three of the commissioners were put up for a recall. Whether that was their fault or not, I think they should have done more to inform the public about what was going on. I have worked with county commissioners all of my career and these guys are very difficult to communicate with.”

The Journal reached out to the current county commissioners regarding Nielsen’s statements, and they declined to comment.

In terms of qualifications, Nielsen said his role as sheriff leaves him well equipped to understand the issues facing both south Bannock County as well as the northern end of the county.

He said that he is among the few sheriffs to serve on the Idaho Association of Counties executive board, both as a member and as a former president.

“I have served on countless boards and committees,” he said. “I am very familiar with county government and what it takes to get things done. My position as sheriff gives me better contacts with folks on the ground in Bannock County cities than any other person. I understand the pulse of the county.”

Manu thanked his family, colleagues and mentors for their continued support during his 28-year career with the sheriff’s office. A transplant of Southern California who came to Pocatello to play linebacker on a scholarship to Idaho State University in 1986, Manu went on to play some professional football, finishing training camp with the Los Angeles Rams and one season on the NFL Europe’s London Monarchs.

“Then my wife got pregnant and I had to find a real job,” Manu said. “I was done chasing that dream because it was just so unstable, so I hung up the cleats and started working at the old Bannock County Jail next to the courthouse as a deputy in 1992.”

Manu would work his way up to patrol and then into detectives, a division he currently leads. A linebacker coach at Highland High School and a former school resource officer, Manu said community commitment is the best qualification he has to offer as the next sheriff of Bannock County.

“I am well rounded and have served within multiple departments within the agency,” Manu said. “The biggest thing is that I am involved with the community. I care about this place big time and this agency, too. I feel like I want to take on the challenge of being the senior guardsman for the community.”

Serving as the county’s top cop isn’t for the faint of heart, said Manu, adding, “It’s just one of those things that you have to have a special personality for. You are the overseer of everybody’s safety.”

But Manu said he knows that operating the sheriff’s office is not a one-man undertaking, and if elected in November, he would’t rush to make major adjustments to the department’s operations.

“We couldn’t do what we do without all the people that we have in place at the sheriff’s office,” Manu said. “I want to have some time to be in a position to assess the job and find out what changes need to be made. Until you are looking it at from the sheriff’s point of view, I don’t think you can give it a fair assessment. But when it is finally your responsibility, that is when you can look at things a bit more critically and can make adjustments to fit your leadership style.”