To the editor:

Jordanna Mallach, a 41-year-old major in the Army National Guard, is running for sheriff of Franklin County. When she wins on Nov. 6, she will be the second woman ever elected sheriff in the 62 counties of New York state.

Jordanna became a colleague of mine when she was elected to serve on the Harrietstown town board in November 2017. She never misses a beat: well informed, questioning, curious, attributes that that have sparked many conversations at our board meetings.

I get a chuckle as I promote her candidacy for sheriff of Franklin County when someone says to me, “But she has no law enforcement experience.”

Let’s take a look at that. She was awarded the Bronze Star when serving in a combat zone at Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. She has more than 10 other military awards (one with two oak leaf clusters). She served as a captain with her troops on the Arizona border and has responded to natural disasters.

Mallach, with 17 years in the Army National Guard, has to qualify every year with her assigned weapon and pass physical fitness and mental health tests.

I believe her experience would stand up well when compared to the duties of sheriff of Franklin County. Those duties have changed quite a bit since Boss Hogg and Sheriff Coltrane were chasing the Dukes of Hazzard through the back roads of Georgia.

The sheriff and his deputies have an important, high-profile job in the county now, serving as jailers for the various courts.

As Maj. Mallach, she served as logistics officer which included moving food, fuel, construction materials, medical equipment ammunition, transportation and clothing. She has also chartered airplanes and buses to move troops and equipment across the country and then across the world.

She was part of a 40-person team from her brigade that was deployed to Afghanistan ahead of the main body to be on hand when the 5,000 soldiers from her brigade and $500 million of equipment started to arrive at Bagram air base, Afghanistan.

I ran into Maj. Chris Rottner (U.S. Army, retired), a Saranac Lake Central and Norwich University grad who served with Maj. Mallach. He said “she is tougher than nails” and then, using an old Adirondack expression, added, “and if she thinks something isn’t right, she’ll show you right then and there where the bear crossed the brook.”

Mallach is totally involved in the North Country: hockey at the civic center, the Saranac Lake summer youth program, the Rotary Club, American Legion Post 326 (past commander), Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3357 and many other organizations. A former teacher, she graduated with a B.A. degree in political science from Union College.

(I also want to thank Sheriff Mulverhill for his years of service as a New York state trooper and for serving two terms as sheriff.)

GO Jordanna Mallach. It it not just the “Year of the Woman,” but it will be “Many Years of the Woman” going forward as hundreds of women across the United Sates run for political office.

Howard Riley

Deputy supervisor

Town of Harrietstown