Racine County voters have chosen a new sheriff for the first time in 16 years.
Democrat Don Vandervest won the race, with unofficial results from the county clerk showing him ahead of Republican Cary Madrigal by several thousand votes on Tuesday night.
In remarks to supporters, Vandervest said the sheriff's badge stands for trust as well as authority, and said bringing that trust back to the sheriff's office was the goal.
He pledged that his department would lead by example, operate with transparency, focus on public safety and stay accountable to the people it serves. Voters who spoke with reporters while polls were open had also named accountability and transparency as what they wanted from law enforcement leadership.
Vandervest takes over from longtime Sheriff Christopher Schmaling on Jan. 1 and will serve a two-year term.
