Nick Ollinger won the Republican primary for Waukesha County sheriff on Tuesday, defeating John Gscheidmeier to succeed retiring Sheriff Eric Severson.
Ollinger, a captain and commander of the detective bureau in the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department, has worked his way up from deputy since joining the agency in 2014. Severson endorsed Ollinger, praising his integrity and leadership.
Gscheidmeier, a Waukesha County Board supervisor and former police officer, firefighter and educator, campaigned on bringing fresh perspective and addressing staff turnover in the department.
Because no Democrat filed for the race, Ollinger will face no major-party opposition in the Nov. 3 general election and is set to become the county’s next sheriff when he takes office in January. The primary marked the first open sheriff’s race in the county in more than a decade.
