(UNDATED) – Two men have announced they are running to be St. Joseph County Sheriff in the 2024 election.

Joe Bingaman and Chad Spence are challenging Mark Lillywhite to be the next St. Joseph County Sheriff. Both are former employees of the Sheriff’s Department and made their announcement on Facebook.

Spence, who is a retired Detective Sergeant with the Sheriff’s Department, announced on Saturday that he is going to throw his name into the political area to see if he can be the next sheriff.

Spence has a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice and after graduating, he was hired by the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department and worked their for 26 years before retiring in 2022. Since his retirement, Spence has been the lead instructor for the Career Technical Education Public Safety Class.

Bingaman is also a former employee with the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Department, having served for 14 years. Bingaman announced in May of 2022 on his Facebook page that he is running for Sheriff and formally filed his paperwork in January 2023.

Bingaman says he is not looking to be another career politician. He says if elected as sheriff, he promises to show up for work, roll up his sleeves and work as hard as the citizens who elected him.