By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
Sheriff Marty Arganbright announced he is running for a fifth term as sheriff. He is seeking the 2024 Democratic nomination for the office of Guthrie County Sheriff in the June 4, 2024, primary election.
Arganbright graduated from Panora in 1981 and became sheriff in 2008 after serving as chief of police for the city of Panora.
“I still teach the DARE program. I’ve been teaching it for 25 years,” he said.
Arganbright mentioned some of the new programs and accomplishments during his years as sheriff.
“We’ve done a lot of things since 2008,” Arganbright said. “We grew our staff to eight deputies. I started the work on the new jail 10 years ago, and now we’re using the jail for our inmates and we’re also housing inmates from outside the county, and that makes great revenue.”
Arganbright seeks grants when possible, to save taxpayer money.
“When I became sheriff, I restarted the deputy reserve program,” said Arganbright. “They help when needed. I’ve added more dispatchers to accommodate 911 calls and regular traffic. We adopted a 28E agreement with Guthrie Center; they couldn’t keep a police department. We got top-of-the-line equipment to protect our deputies and citizens.
Arganbright said he also restarted the K9 program.
“We have two dogs, and it’s all funded through donations,” he said.
Arganbright says one of the biggest issues in the county is drugs.
“I want to continue what we’ve been doing and stay on top of the drug problem,” he said. “That’s one of my biggest goals.”
When he’s off-duty, Arganbright stays active in the community.
“I belong to Ten Squared Men, and the Guthrie County Cattlemen’s Association,” said Arganbright. “I’ve been active in Saint Cecelia’s and Saint Mary’s Church my whole life. I live on a farm and have cattle.”
Overall, Arganbright has a simple philosophy of service.
“I try to treat everyone the same — the way that I would want to be treated,” he said.