Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole announces run for state senate

Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

LUDINGTON — Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole has announced that he is seeking the Republican nomination to run for the Michigan 32nd Senate seat, representing Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Manistee, and Benzie counties.

Cole was elected Mason County sheriff in 2012 and has served on the department for 40 years. He is a fifth generation resident of Mason County and second generation to serve as sheriff — his great-great grandfather, Henry C. Cole served as sheriff from 1899 to 1902.

“I have taken my role and responsibility to the community I serve seriously,” he said. “I believe in holding myself, and those who work alongside me, to a higher standard while being the utmost professional. Providing exceptional service for those we serve is a must, no excuses. Full stop.”

Cole and his wife, Gina, have been married for 38 years and have two adult children, and three grandchildren. “Of all the titles I have held throughout my career, Grandpa has been the most treasured,” he said.

Cole, a 1982 graduate of Ludington High School, began his career with the Mason County Sheriff’s Office serving as a reserve deputy while attending West Shore Community College. In the past four decades he has worked in nearly every aspect of the department including corrections, tactical team, marine patrol, dispatch, and road. From 1989 to 1994, Cole served as the sheriff’s office’s DARE (drug abuse awareness education) officer. He has held the ranks of deputy, sergeant, undersheriff, and sheriff.

Following a career as one of the longest serving members of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Cole decided to expand his commitment of community service to other areas of west Michigan and has chosen to run for Senate.

“I will take my work ethic, professional standard, forty years of commitment to my community to Lansing, never forgetting the values residents and business owners of the lakeshore stand for,” Cole said.

Kim Cole’s commitment to his community, state and nation is exemplified in the many boards he has served on and the projects he has initiated. His commitment to his community and state expands beyond law enforcement.

His board, committee, and organizational commitments include or have included:

West Michigan:

• Mason-Oceana 911 Board of Directors, vice chair
• State Sheriff’s Chief’s Enforcement Narcotics Team, former chair
• Mason County Child Death Review Team
• Corewell Health Rural Health Care Advisory Board
• Mason County Medical Control Board
• Mason County Historical Society Board of Directors, vice president
• Lakeshore Children’s Advocacy Center Board of Directors
• Mason County School Safety Planning Team
• Leeward Initiative Drug Coalition
• Oceana/Mason Children’s Trust Partners
• Member of Rotary Club of Ludington, two-time recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award

State and National:

• Michigan Association of Traffic Accident Investigators, 2006-2013, including board president, 2011-2013
• Michigan Sheriffs Coordinating Training Council, 2020 to present
• Michigan Sheriffs’ Association Board of Directors, 2018 to present, including president, 2022; legislative committee, 2022 to present
• National Sheriffs’ Association Board of Directors, representing Michigan’s 83 sheriffs, 2023 to present; including boarder security committee and traffic safety committee

As Mason County sheriff, Cole has overseen multiple safety initiatives. Some of those efforts have included:

• Working with Michigan Department of Transportation to install left-lane turn signals along the dangerous US 10 corridor between Ludington and Scottville, reducing serious crashes drastically.
• Forming the Mason County School Safety Planning Team, a coordinated effort that involves every law enforcement agency, public school, and other agencies in the county. This effort also included the “Adopt-A-Door” $170,000 fund raiser that resulted in the purchase of equipment that can secure every classroom door in the county.
• Installation of a drug detection canine in the Mason County Jail, protecting corrections deputies and inmates.
• Overseeing an effort that raised over $35,000 to purchase Kevlar helmets and rifle-rated ballistic plates for law enforcement officers in Mason County.
• Initiating the Sheriff’s Winged Warrior program recognizing a child with disabilities or who has displayed exemplary service. The child gets to ride with the sheriff, leading the parade, during the Ludington Area Jaycees Freedom Festival Parade in Ludington on July 4.

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