DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — For the first time this decade, there is a new sheriff in Door County.
Curt Vandertie (R) defeated incumbent Tammy Sternard (D) and Randy Wagner (I) in the race. Vandertie received 8,529 votes (48 percent), more than Sternard's 7,599, with 1,428 votes going to Wagner.
Vandertie is the first Republican to win the race since Steven Delarwelle defeated Sternard in 2014.
WATCH MIHIR SINHASAN'S FULL STORY:
"I will be a sheriff for all, serving everyone in Door County with fairness and respect," Vandertie said about his beliefs, policies and plans in a statement to NBC 26 in October. "My focus will be on people: protecting our community, supporting our employees and providing the best service possible."
Vandertie faced a tough path in this race. He defeated Carl Waterstreet in the Republican primary in August.
Then in October, an open records request fulfilled to NBC 26 revealed that Vandertie was suspended for 12 days without pay in March 2022.
In a statement posted to his website, Vandertie suggested the actions against him were politically motivated.
Before the results, NBC 26 spoke with neighbors at Sturgeon Bay City Hall, one of the city's polling places. This includes Kelly LaLuzerne, who said that she was voting for Vandertie.
"He is just what we need in the county," LaLuzerne said.
She says she looks beyond his suspension and instead at his leadership qualities.
"I try to look away from it, because it's politics," LaLuzerne said about Vandertie's suspension. "I think he would bring stability within the whole department."
"(I would be) ecstatic, happy," she added on her reaction if Vandertie won. "We need him."
NBC 26 will stay with this story as Vandertie starts his first term as the Door County Sheriff.
