Retired Wilmington police officer to challenge New Hanover sheriff for job

The sheriff of New Hanover County is set to have a challenger in the next election.

Retired Wilmington Police Department Capt. Kelvin Hargrove announced plans to run for New Hanover County Sheriff on Monday.

Current Sheriff Ed McMahon said he plans to run for the job again. McMahon has served as the sheriff of New Hanover County since 2009.

"I want to remain the sheriff," McMahon told the StarNews. "It's a privilege and an honor to serve as sheriff."

He said although he didn't know officially whether he would have a challenger, he had heard "rumblings" that someone might run against him.

Both McMahon and Hargrove have filed to run as Democrats, according to New Hanover County Board of Elections Director Rae Hunter-Havens. That means the two will face off in a primary election on March 8, 2022, Hunter-Havens said.

The primary will help narrow the candidate field before the general election in November 2022.

McMahon was unopposed in his 2018 election but faced challengers in elections in 2014 and 2010. In 2014, McMahon won approximately 66% of the vote while in 2010 he received approximately 60%, according to data from the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Before becoming the sheriff, McMahon served as the sheriff department's chief deputy and as a captain in the department.

Hargrove retired from the Wilmington Police Department in September where he served as a captain. During his 29 years with the department, Hargrove received awards, including the Wounded in Service Award and Courageous Action in the Line of Duty Award, according to a press release announcing his run.

Hargrove said becoming the sheriff of New Hanover County is something he's envisioned for the past 10 or 15 years.

"It's been a vision of mine for many years now," he said. "It's nothing that I just started last week or yesterday or two months ago."

While working in law enforcement, Hargrove said he's watched as policing and communities in New Hanover County have changed.

"In our country, law enforcement is changing. The way we police are changing," he said. "It's time for our communities within New Hanover County to change along with it and to be progressive."

If elected, Hargrove said he wants to focus on building trust, strong relationships and unity within the community. He also wants to focus on being inclusive while remaining tough on crime, he told the StarNews on Monday.

The filing period for the 2022 elections runs from Monday at noon until noon on Dec. 17. The New Hanover County Board of Education and New Hanover County Board of Commissioners also have seats up for election in 2022.

Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover sheriff McMahon to face Kelvin Hargrove in 2022 election