Jared Hoffmaster announced this week that his campaign has received the endorsement of Sheriff Mark Lillywhite. Hoffmaster is running for the First District seat on the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners. The district includes Three Rivers as well as Fabius and Flowerfield Townships. Hoffmaster, a Republican, faces Democrat Andrew George and Independent Matthew Mosher in the November General Election.
In a Facebook statement and photo released Thursday morning, Hoffmaster said, “I am very honored to receive the endorsement for St. Joseph County 1st District County Commissioner from a very good friend of mine, Sheriff Mark Lillywhite and his staff.” Hoffmaster and Lillywhite were joined by others for a photo opportunity. “Thank you, Jason Bingaman, TJ Baker and Erin Goff! I appreciate the service and sacrifice of all our first responders in St Joe County and promise to do my best to support them as a County Commissioner,” Hoffmaster said.
In comments to Watershed Voice, Lillywhite said there are several reasons he endorsed Hoffmaster, including that he is “very community oriented. He’d been great for the City of Three Rivers. He’s done some great things for the (Three Rivers Area Community) Foundation (TRACF). He’s a Republican, so he has the same values as far as looking out for the county that I think is needed for law enforcement, and that’s important to me and my colleagues for the safety of the citizens.”
In follow-up comments to Watershed Voice Hoffmaster said it “was kind of (Lillywhite)” to offer his endorsement. “Mark was really kind of influential in me getting in the race in the first place,” Hoffmaster said.
Lillywhite said the two first discussed the idea several years ago when Hoffmaster was serving on the Three Rivers City Commission. Later, Hoffmaster said, the two discussed the idea around the time that County Commissioner Allen Balog announced he was running for the seat of 59th District State Representative. The two discussed a need for younger leadership in the county, the direction the county was taking, and other issues. Lillywhite said, “he actually stated that he was going to talk to his wife and family, and he came back and said, ‘yes,’ that he was going to run.”
“We kind of thought it was a good idea to put it out in the public arena. We’ve been friends for quite a while,” Hoffmaster said. With Lillywhite’s popularity around the county, Hoffmaster said, the endorsement was quite welcome, as was the photo opportunity behind Thursday’s Facebook announcement.
Hoffmaster said he appreciates Lillywhite’s approach to operating the Sheriff’s Department, which he described as a “community policing” approach. “I think they’re doing a great job,” Hoffmaster said. “I thought they did a good job. With the event downtown, the celebration of diversity after the George Floyd incident.” Hoffmaster was referring to the June 1 “Stand for the Right to Breathe” demonstration, which occurred peacefully in Three Rivers the week following Floyd’s killing.
Along with Three Rivers Police Chief Tom Bringman, Lillywhite spoke at the rally about issues of police conduct and his department’s willingness to hear citizen concerns. “I think community policing is important,” Hoffmaster said. “You know, the guy next door, you see him at Meijer, and Mark’s very visible in the county and in the community.”
Lillywhile is not the only sheriff to have endorsed Hoffmaster. In early June, former St. Joseph County Sheriff Bradley Balk submitted a letter to the campaign which said, in part, “I want to officially give my support and endorsement to Jared Hoffmaster for 1st District County Commissioner.” The letter described Hoffmaster’s service in leadership to the community, and said, “right now St. Joseph County and the rest of the world is going through an unprecedented crisis. Mr. Hoffmaster’s “get things done” attitude and leadership is exactly what we need to help St. Joseph County families get back on their feet.”
In addition to the two sheriff’s endorsements, Hoffmaster has also received endorsements from Balog, St. Joseph County Clerk and Register of Deeds Lindsey Oswald, Fabius Township Supervisor John Kroggel, and Michigan Right to Life.
Hoffmaster was born and raised in the area. In addition to his time as a City Commissioner, Hoffmaster holds or has held a variety of other civic roles, including his presidency at TRACF, a vice presidency at the River Country Sports Commission, a past presidency at the Three Rivers Rotary Club, and a board membership with Rocket Football. He works at Century Bank and Trust as the Assistant Vice President and is married to his high school sweetheart with three children.
Speaking of Hoffmaster, Lillywhite said, “he’s very community oriented, and he cares about the area that he lives in, and he cares about the county. He’s a hard worker, and I think he’s going to do great things.”
Dave Vago is a writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
