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Sheriff Kim Cole
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole has submitted a letter to the Mason County Board of Commissioners formally announcing his retirement after more than 41 years with the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.
The letter has been sent to commissioners and is expected to be formally submitted to the board at its next meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 13. The county board holds its regular October meeting on the second Tuesday of the month.
Cole wrote that two weeks ago he filed retirement paperwork with the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System of Michigan (MERS), announcing his intent to retire as sheriff. If approved by MERS, his final day as sheriff will be Friday, Oct. 30, and his first day of retirement will be Nov. 1.
“Well, the time has come,” Cole wrote. “I write this letter with mixed emotions, but with clarity of mind and a heart full of gratitude.”
Cole’s retirement comes as he campaigns for Michigan’s 32nd Senate District seat. He announced in September 2025 that he would seek the Republican nomination for the seat. The district includes Benzie, Mason and Oceana counties and portions of Manistee and Muskegon counties.
Cole is now the Republican nominee and will face Democrat Rebecca Amidon of Manistee County in the Nov. 3 general election.
The 62-year-old Pere Marquette Township resident was first elected Mason County sheriff in 2012 and took office in January 2013. He was re-elected to a fourth term in November 2024. Prior to becoming sheriff, Cole served in several capacities with the sheriff’s office, including road patrol, corrections, marine patrol, dispatch and the department’s tactical team. He also served as the department’s DARE officer and held the ranks of deputy, sergeant and undersheriff.
A fifth-generation Mason County resident, Cole graduated from Ludington High School in 1982 and West Shore Community College in 1984. His great-great-grandfather, Henry C. Cole, served as Mason County sheriff from 1899 to 1902.
When Cole announced in February 2024 that he would seek a fourth term as sheriff, he said he had considered retiring at the conclusion of his third term but had decided his work was not finished.
In his retirement letter, Cole thanked the county commissioners for their cooperation during his tenure and outlined several initiatives undertaken during his administration. Those included adding three School Resource Deputies, upgrading marine patrol boats, strengthening the dive team and Emergency Response Team, adding a K-9 to the corrections staff, adding four road patrol deputies and starting a drone program.
“History, in time, will dictate what type of sheriff I was, and I am fine with those findings,” Cole wrote. “Having been given the chance to serve as a member of the Mason County Sheriff’s Office for over 41 years has been the greatest honor.”
Cole also praised the men and women of the sheriff’s office and told commissioners he was confident the board would continue to support the department after his retirement.
Cole said his decision will allow him to spend more time with his family. He and his wife, Gina, have two adult children, Drew and Kasey, and four grandchildren.
“It has come time for me to focus more on family,” Cole wrote. He said his children will no longer have to worry each time he leaves for work and that he will have more time to focus on being “Papa” to his grandchildren.
Cole concluded the letter by quoting sportswriter Grantland Rice and thanking commissioners for their support over the years.
“I hope I have played it well,” Cole wrote.
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