Candidate for Kenton County Sheriff;
Party: Republican;
Status: Incumbent;
Jude Hehman is the current Kenton County sheriff. He was appointed to the position to replace the previous Sheriff Charles “Chuck” Korzenborn in December and will fill the position for the rest of 2026. He will face fellow Republican Larry Shelton in the May primary. Whoever wins that race will then face off against Democrat Tom Collins in November. There is no Democratic primary for the sheriff’s seat this year.
Locally, Hehman is most known for his time as the mayor of Fort Mitchell, a position he held for 11 years. He actually filed to run for election in October before being appointed in December. The previous sheriff as well as the current Kenton County Attorney Stacey Tapke and Kenton County Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders have all endorsed Hehman’s candidacy.
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“I not only love first responders and police and sheriffs’ offices, I enjoy serving the people,” Hehman told LINK nky, “and I really believe that that’s what the sheriff’s office is.”
Hehman admittedly does not have any law enforcement experience but has had both a long political and business career. He served on the Fort Mitchell City Council for 10 years. He’s also the founder and CEO of commercial construction company Furlong Building Enterprises.
Hehman pointed to his leadership experience in both the private and public sectors as evidence of his ability. Sheriff’s offices, in spite of their cultural associations, are comparatively limited as law enforcement agencies in Kentucky – they’re primarily responsible for tax collection, court and jail security, jail transport and serving civil processes.
The sheriff, or his proxy, also serves as a member of the county board of elections. Finally, the Kenton County Sheriff administers the county-wide SWAT team.
Dealing with the constitutional and financial limitations of the office has been one of the most challenging aspects of the job, Hehman said. However, since he’s assumed the role, he’s worked to update the office’s software and increase the number of security officers at the justice center.
“We want the cities to have local control and local decisions, right,?” Hehman said. “Well, it’s no different from the sheriff’s office. These cities want the local, and they’re damn good at what they do.”