MARK VALESANO

CRYSTAL FALLS — The final days are winding down for Sheriff Mark Valesano, who will retire Aug. 2 after 14 years in the position.

Valesano, 62, joined the Iron County Sheriff’s Office in 1989, after working five years with the Crystal Falls Police. He was first elected sheriff in 2009 and last won re-election in November 2020.

In 2020, the Michigan Sheriffs Association chose Valesano for a one-year term as president.

The county board July 12 presented Valesano with a framed commendation thanking him for his years of service.

“I thought it was time to pass the reins to a younger person,” Valesano said after the board meeting.

He had informed county officials at the end of May of his decision to step down. He noted in his retirement announcement, “When we choose this profession it is because we have a calling to be public servants, and in order to do this job we need a lot of support. Support from each other, support from our community and most importantly the support we get from our families at home. There is also a lot of sacrifice that comes with being the spouse and children of a police officer. They have to endure shift work, working on holidays and weekends and having to attend functions alone with the kids, for which I will be forever grateful.”

Valesano and his wife, Linda, have been married since 1980 and have three grown children.

He concluded in that retirement statement, “Although we don’t get paid much for all of the things we have to see and do, I feel that I am a rich man. Thank you to everyone that has worked to make our sheriff’s office a professional agency with the goal of serving the citizens of Iron County. Ciao.”

Interviews for Valesano’s successor are set for 9 a.m. Thursday in the county board chambers and are open to the public. The selection committee — County Clerk Julie Kezerle, Judge Donald Powell and Prosecutor Chad DeRouin — is expected to make its choice that same day.

The new sheriff will serve the remainder of Valesano’s term through 2024.