Hogue bows out

MONTICELLO, NY — Sullivan County’s two-term Sheriff Dan Hogue announced last Thursday that he will not seek re-election this fall and is retiring after a 44-year career in law enforcement.

The highly regarded Pittsburgh, PA native retired after 25 years with the Monticello Police Department to join the sheriff’s department, where he served as undersheriff until then Sheriff Joe Wasser’s retirement in 1997. The 66-year-old Democrat, who won election as sheriff twice, said he was leaving to be able to spend more time with his family.

Two potential candidates to fill the office are Democrat Luis Alvarez, a sergeant with the Sheriff’s Patrol and a former Liberty Village trustee, and Republican Michael Schiff, a state police investigator who is retiring after 27 years with the state.