Two Waterloo residents vie for Black Hawk County sheriff's post | Waterloo

WATERLOO, Iowa (KWWL) — Longtime Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson is resigning and two men are hoping to take his place.

Voters will have the opportunity to choose between two Democratic candidates for Black Hawk County's next sheriff. The two candidates are Waterloo residents Nihad Masic and Nate Neff.

Neff has been with the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Department for approximately 30 years and currently serves as the jail administrator. He said he had been interested in the role of sheriff for several years, but did not want to run against Thompson.

Since becoming prison administrator in 2020, Neff's goal has been to reduce relapses into criminal behavior and ultimately see fewer people inside the prison.

If elected, he says he wants to focus on maintaining jobs and hiring new people at the sheriff's office.

This comes as 15 department employees have the option to retire over the next year.

Neff said, “There are a lot of changes coming to the Sheriff's Office, and my goal is really to provide stability and focus on recruitment and retention. There are many career opportunities at the Sheriff's Office. what I've been able to do as a prison administrator, we've been able to implement a lot of programs, whether it's career development or partnerships with Iowa Workforce Development and Hawkeye Community College.

Nihad Masic is a Waterloo resident and car salesman who decided to run for sheriff after hearing public complaints about the department.

Even though Masic has no law enforcement experience, he says it was important for him to come forward.

Masic says the prison is becoming a revolving door for many local residents and he wants to change that.

In a statement he released, he said, quoting in part: “Many people struggle with mental illness, drugs and financial problems. Prison is not a long-term solution for this type of problems.”

He adds, “If I'm elected, I will hold a public sheriff's meeting every month so you can get to know me, and I can get to know every corner of Black Hawk County.”

There are currently no Republicans or Libertarians running for Black Hawk Co. sheriff.

You can vote for Neff or Masic during the polls on Tuesday June 4.

The winner of Tuesday's primary election will determine who will be on the ballot for the Nov. 5 general election.