Chaffee County Undersheriff John Spezze today announced that he will be seeking the Republican nomination for county sheriff in 2014.  Spezze was appointed to his post in 2011 by the current sheriff, Pete Palmer, who is not running for reelection next year. 

Sheriff Palmer said, “John is the most competent person in the county to fill the sheriff’s position, and I will be enthusiastically supporting him in this effort.  He is intelligent, possesses unquestioned integrity, and will continue to honor our commitment to our citizens of complete transparency of operations, independence of judgment, and professional management of the sheriff’s office.” 

Spezze, 53, is a long-time resident of Chaffee County.  A twenty-seven-year veteran of the Denver Police Department, Spezze was raised in Salida where his family and other close relatives still reside.  Retiring from the Denver department in 2011 to accept the undersheriff post, he and his wife Julie and their ten-year-old daughter Lily live near Salida where Lily attends school.  Spezze is a graduate of several command and executive level courses and is an active member of the County Sheriffs of Colorado, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Colorado Association of Chiefs of Police. 

Readers of The Mountain Mail voted Undersheriff Spezze “Best County Employee of 2013.”