Dodge County GOP selects unopposed sheriff nominee

After the resignation of the former sheriff, the Dodge County Republican Party picked its replacement nominee. He faces no opponent and will nearly certainly be the next sheriff.

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After sudden opening, Dodge County GOP selects unopposed nominee for sheriff

FREMONT, Neb. —

The Dodge County Republican Party selected Logan Kampschnieder, a 31-year-old sergeant with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, as their candidate for sheriff late last month.

Under state law, the party could select a replacement after former Sheriff Dustin Weitzel withdrew his nomination and resigned a month ago.

Kampschnieder, who does not have an opponent on the ballot, nearly certainly will be the next sheriff. He’s been with the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office for nine years and was promoted to sergeant in March.

Six people applied to be the nominee, said Spencer Wilson, vice chair of the Dodge County Republican Party. Five were interviewed.

Others who received interviews are:

Interim Dodge County Sheriff Bob Reynolds, a longtime veteran of the office who came out of retirement to take the role.
Nick White, a 29-year-old member of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Jon Kramer
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jason Mass.

A sixth applicant in his early 20s was not given an interview, Wilson said.

Kampschnieder told KETV Thursday he had been considering running for sheriff well before last month, but the sudden opening “accelerated the timeline a little bit.”

He said he fell in love with law enforcement from a young age and “never really wanted to do anything else.”

Wilson led a six-member committee tasked with selecting the replacement nominee.

After interviews, committee members submitted secret ballots to narrow the five candidates to four. Then after 90 minutes, the committee reached a supermajority, Wilson said.

Other committee members were Roxie Kracl, Trevor Synovec, John Grothusen, Jennifer Birkhofer and Tom Smith.

“We like the fact that (Kampschnieder) is kind of the next generation stepping up to be a leader,” Wilson said.

Wilson also emphasized the importance of choosing someone familiar with the community.

Kampschnieder, a village of Dodge native, graduated from Howells-Dodge in 2013.

Reynolds said Thursday that while he is disappointed he wasn’t selected, he is happy with the committee’s selection of Kampschnieder. He said the sergeant is a good and knowledgeable officer.

Kampschnieder expressed his appreciation for Reynolds’ guidance during the transition.

“Sheriff Reynolds is doing a great job, helping us out and getting us through this time period right now. And he has a lot of experience. And so I’m trying to just soak up as much as I can right now,” Kampschnieder said.

“I would like to start by saying congratulations to Logan Kampschnieder on earning the Republican nomination for Dodge County Sheriff. I wholeheartedly believe he will step into this role with the level of leadership and professionalism required of the role as Sheriff. I also want to sincerely thank the Dodge County Republican Party for their time, consideration, and confidence in me as a candidate throughout this process. It is a privilege to serve the people of Dodge County, and I look forward to continuing to do so with honor and pride,” said Nick White.

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