Sheriff Bartsh hanging up his badge in Wabasha County

Mar. 2—WABASHA — There'll be a new sheriff in town come 2023.

Wabasha County Sheriff Rodney Bartsh announced he plans not to seek a sixth term as sheriff, and will let someone else take over from the position.

"The time has come to put a greater emphasis on my family which, often, over the years, has taken a backseat to my job," Bartsh wrote in a letter announcing his decision that was posted on the county sheriff's office's official Facebook page.

Bartsh's current term expires at the end of 2022, and will mark 20 years as sheriff and 34 years working in law enforcement, all in Wabasha County.

Those 20 years make Bartsh currently the second-longest serving sheriff in Minnesota.

Bartsh said his wife, Denise, is "very excited."

"I've always brought stuff home from work, which can be hard," the sheriff said. "She's always handled it well."

Bartsh said he plans to spend more time with his family, and while he plans to find another job, it's time to step down as sheriff.

"I've been here for a lot of ups and downs in Wabasha County, and those things take their toll on you," Bartsh said.

He said he'll continue working with Minnesota Adult/Teen Challenge, and making sure law enforcement agencies see how that organization can help people suffering from drug addiction.

Wabasha County Administrator Michael Plante said Bartsh has spent those 20 years making sure the sheriff's office had the tools it needed to serve the county, and made sure his employees had the tools they needed to do their jobs.

"He's done a good job of keeping the department up with trends," Plante said. "He's made sure they have the equipment they need. He set up a rotation to replace the squads (vehicles)."

Part of that job as been engaging well with the communities — the cities and townships — served by the sheriff's office.

Plante said it was during a township officers meeting recently that Bartsh said he planned to call it quits as sheriff by not running for re-election and simply serving out his current term, which ends Dec. 31.

At that meeting, Plante said, Bartsh let people know he was endorsing his chief deputy, Jim Warren, to be his replacement.

Warren said he's long planned to run for sheriff once Bartsh steps aside, but getting Bartsh's support is encouraging.

"I'm 52, and I've got more fuel in the tank," Warren said.

Warren said Bartsh's example is of someone who cared more about the people working under him and the sheriff's office as an institution than himself. That means watching out how tax dollars are spent and looking out for the needs of his deputies and staff.

"Rodney's always been a good keeper of the public's money," Warren said. "He's always said if you only get the things you need, you'll never have any wants."

Bartsh said what means more to him than anything as he plans to step down is the attitude of the people who work in the sheriff's office.

"Mainly it's that I've got employees that care beyond their paychecks," he said. "It's about how they treat people who are having the worst day of their lives."