BELLE — Belle City Marshal Jerry Coborn says his recently announced campaign for Maries County sheriff in 2028 is something he has been considering for some time.

Coborn, who recently announced his candidacy for the office, said during an interview this week that serving as Belle’s city marshal pays $100 per month. Although he maintains another job within the city that pays a living wage, Coborn said the marshal’s salary does not provide the long-term financial stability he needs.

“Kind of hard to live on $100 a month,” Coborn said. “I do have the secondary job, but I still can’t retire in 12 years or in 20 years on $100 a month, so I’ve decided to officially announce my candidacy.”

The election remains nearly two years away. Under current Missouri law, the statewide primary election will be held Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2028, followed by the general election Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2028. State law establishes the primary on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August of even-numbered years and the general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Coborn said recent controversies surrounding the Maries County Sheriff’s Department were not what prompted him to enter the race. When asked whether lawsuits and other issues involving the department played a role in his decision, he said he had already been considering a run for sheriff.

“I’ve been contemplating on taking the next step for quite some time,” Coborn said. He added that he was not closely familiar with everything occurring within the sheriff’s office.

Coborn previously served as a commissioned Maries County deputy in addition to his position in Belle. Asked about his separation from the sheriff’s department, Coborn said he had not intended to resign but that differences arose between himself and the sheriff.

“I wasn’t intending to resign,” Coborn said. “But due to just different points of view between me and the sheriff ... he decided that it was best to take the commission away.”

Coborn said the change does allow him to place additional attention on his campaign, though he acknowledged the election is still two years away.

Since publicly announcing his candidacy, Coborn said the reaction he has received has been overwhelmingly supportive. He said his phone has been receiving considerably more calls than normal and that he has heard from residents both in Belle and elsewhere in the county.

“It’s been very, very positive,” Coborn said. “My phone blows up constantly, more than my normal call volume.”

Coborn said he has received calls and online support from people he does not yet personally know and plans to spend the coming months meeting residents throughout Maries County, including those living in rural portions of the county.

“I look forward to the opportunity to actually getting out and meeting and greeting and talking to the people of the communities and the rural area of Maries County,” Coborn said. “I think I can do the job.”

If elected, Coborn said one of his first priorities would be a broad review of the sheriff department’s policies and procedures rather than focusing on only one area.

“Everything needs to be reexamined, including policies, procedures, from the first page to the last page,” Coborn said.

Response times are also among the concerns Coborn said residents have raised with him. He said some people have told him they waited anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours for a deputy to arrive. Coborn cautioned that he was not criticizing individual deputies, noting from his own experience that limited staffing and higher-priority calls can delay responses.

“You take the most serious calls first, and if you’re the only guy on, then it takes a while to respond,” Coborn said.

With the election still more than a year away, Coborn said voters will have an opportunity to continue watching how he performs in his current position as the city marshal of Belle. He pointed to the commitment he made when seeking that office — to be present and available to the community — as an indication of how he would approach serving the county.

“I think I’ve shown the people of Belle that I took my statement that I was going to be here and show up every day,” Coborn said. “That same commitment will be to the county as a whole.”

Coborn said Belle would remain important to him regardless of whether he continues serving as marshal or is ultimately elected sheriff, and said his approach to dealing with residents would remain the same.

“I’ll treat everybody respectfully and cordially, as I would expect to be treated,” Coborn said. “Just going to do my job as I’ve always done it.”