Essex County Sheriff Candidate Shapshots

ESSEX COUNTY, MA – In February, longtime Sheriff Frank Cousins announced that he would not run for reelection. The field flooded with candidates – 13 in all – but four emerged.

The race saw extremely low turnout for the primaries, but will likely get a boost from the presidential election on Nov. 8. Before you vote, familiarize yourself with the sheriff's job, and with the candidates:

The Essex County Sheriff's Department has a budget of $67 million, and oversees nine facilities and offices. It is headquartered in Middleton, and the sheriff's duty is to ensure that inmates are housed in a fair and secure manner, according to the state.

The sheriff is also responsible for programs and services, such as job training and substances abuse help, for inmates to lower the rate of reoffending.

Click the candidates' names for a longer profile.

• Republican Anne Manning-Martin: Longtime Peabody Councilor-At-Large Anne Manning-Martin works as a Deputy Superintendent at the Lemuel Shattack Hospital Correctional Unit. A platform of her campaign has been to lower the recidivism rate, otherwise known as a relapse into criminal behavior.
• Democrat Kevin Coppinger: Kevin Coppinger has been the Chief of Police in Lynn for the past 17 years. He has made a point of not accepting campaign donations from any employees of the Sheriff's Department or their spouses.
• Independent Mark Archer: Attorney, Master Plumber, and retired State Trooper Mark Archer grew up in Lynn, now lives in Bedford, and practices law in Burlington. He has promised to freeze his trooper's pension if elected to sheriff.
• Independent Kevin Leach: Kevin Leach is a retired county commissioner, and lives in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Recently he served as foreman of the Essex County Grand Jury. This is his fifth run at sheriff.

Image via Anne Manning-Martin, Mark Archer, Kevin Leach, and Taylor Rapalyea.