In November of 2020, Ada County residents voted, and by a landslide chose to re-elect Steve Bartlett as Ada County Sheriff. Not six months later, truly just weeks into a four-year term (which would have been his second), Bartlett announced his retirement effective immediately . While plenty of speculation has swirled around the Treasure Valley, no clear reason as to why Bartlett retired has been shared with the public.
Since Bartlett was a Republican, the Republican Central Committee was tasked with choosing three candidates to be interviewed by the Ada County Commissioners (Ryan Davidson, Rod Beck, and Kendra Kenyon for appointment.
Since the process began, the commissioners interviewed: Doug Traubel (a semi-retired former employee of the sheriff s office and prosecutor s office), Mike Chilton (a former sheriff s office employee), and Matt Clifford the only active and POST trained candidate who is currently Chief of Police for the City of Eagle.