Patricia R. Doxsey reports in the Daily Freeman that on Feb. 24 Dutchess County Democrats unanimously picked retired deputy Jillian Hanlon, the first openly transgender person in the office’s history, as the Democratic candidate for sheriff. Former Sheriff Butch Anderson passed away in late 2021 and, in his absence, Undersheriff Kirk Imperati has been serving as the acting sheriff. Gov. Kathy Hochul has hinted she may appoint someone to fill out the term, but has not acted so far. Hanlon retired from the Sheriff’s Office in 2021 after a 24-year career, and now becomes the first woman in the county’s history to run for Dutchess County Sheriff. If she wins, she would be the first transgender sheriff in the country and only the second female sheriff in New York. “It’s an historic campaign and it’s time to change the ‘old boys network,'” Hanlon said Feb. 25. Read more about this story in the Daily Freeman.