Three candidates are vying for the sheriff's office in rural Franklin County — two challengers are up against an incumbent currently serving as interim sheriff.
Incumbent: Lori Streeter
Lori Streeter was appointed interim sheriff by Gov. Maura Healey back in 2025, after previous sheriff Chistopher Donelan retired. Now she's hoping voters will let her keep the position for a full two-year term.
Streeter frames herself as the candidate with the most experience to get the job done — having worked within the department in different roles for more than 30 years.
"I've been here a long time and have a good solid understanding of what the job entails," she said. "And I've worked really closely with the legislators, built really good relationships with legislators which is really important particularly in a poor rural county where funds from legislation is important."
Streeter has helmed the department as lawmakers put more scrutiny on how sheriffs across the state manage their budgets. An Inspector General investigation this past summer described the budgeting process for sheriffs offices as "chaotic" — with a mix of under-funding from the legislature and over-spending by sheriffs.
Streeter said for Franklin County, some of those budget issues stem from the rural nature of the community.
"When they came to meet with us and we went through the audit process, we talked about the fact that as a small rural county, one of the poorest counties, we do a lot of stuff that maybe the bigger counties don't do," she said.
Challenger: Gary Gagnon
Independent Challenger Gary Gagnon spent much of the last 20 years as a corrections officer in Franklin County and served as vice president of the sheriff's office union.
His campaign has focused on making the office more transparent, and has pointed to that Inspector General report as proof the department is currently being mismanaged.
On social media, Gagnon has accused the Sheriff's office of corruption and nepotism in it's hiring practices, and told the Greenfield City Council this past August that those concerns are a driver for his candidacy.
"[What I've experienced in that department... a lot of its kind of ugly. And I'm willing to speak publicly on everything," he said during the meeting.
Gagnon's platform includes yearly audits of the Sheriff's office, and allowing members of the public to sit-in on job interviews.
Challenger: Jon Hall
Unenrolled Challenger Jon Hall has served as police chief in Northfield since 2021, and before that spent about 7 years with the UMass Amherst Police Department. He's touting his law enforcement experience, and has said on social media that he's dedicated to elevating the office and supporting members of the department.
"No promises, other than I'm gonna get up every morning, 5 in the morning and I'm gonna go to work, and I'm gonna work hard and I'll make sure those people around me are empowered and know they have someone — a leader at the top — that is gonna listen to them, and enable them, and encourage them to do the same," he said.
Hall's campaign has focused on establishing more regional cooperation between police departments — hoping to close gaps in public safety coverage between small towns that often have to contend with staffing shortages and increasing budget pressures.
Campaign finance records show that incumbent Streeter has raised the most money, and has the biggest coffers with about $23,000 on hand. That's compared to around $1,300 for Hall, and just $40 dollars for Gagnon.
Both Jon Hall and Gary Gagnon did not respond to interview requests from NEPM. Voters in Franklin County will decide their next Sheriff on Nov. 3.
