NEWS RELEASE:
January 6, 2022
Mike Le Roux is announcing his candidacy for Archuleta County Sheriff in the 2022 election. Current Sheriff, Rich Valdez, has announced that he is not seeking reelection. Le Roux was installed as Archuleta County Undersheriff on Dec. 20, 2021 after previous Undersheriff Derek Woodman was hired as County Administrator by the Board of County Commissioners. Le Roux holds his Peace Officers Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) certification, obtained in 2020.
“I believe that to be a successful Sheriff requires community collaboration and cooperation across the board. A good leader within our remote, rural county must look for every opportunity to synchronize the activities of all relevant stakeholders to achieve a common purpose, and to foster a culture of combining of efforts in effective mutual aid,” Le Roux stated.
Prior to being appointed Undersheriff, Le Roux has been the Director of Emergency Management for the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office since 2016 which coordinates the county’s emergency response to wildland fires, search, rescue, and other county-level emergency incidents. In this position, Le Roux has been responsible for real-time, high pressure response coordination requiring him to both manage and function in multi-agency (state, federal, tribal) environments, mobilizing resources and assigning priorities as required, often across county borders and with wider State assets. In his Search and Rescue (SAR) function, he oversees a not for profit governance board of seven individuals and between 30-50 volunteers at any time.
“I value an approach based on education, training, experience, ethical practice, public stewardship and continuous improvement. I get things done because I’m driven, determined, flexible and disciplined. I am a natural problem solver, who enjoys finding creative and innovative approaches to solving challenges, and I feel fulfilled when I see something left even better than I found it. I have always lived with a philosophy of pushing myself outside my comfort zone, and I’m good at adapting quickly to changing conditions and have the ability to make calm and agile decisions in the field,” Le Roux commented.