After 24 years on the job, Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway announced Tuesday morning he will not seek re-election to another term.
"My decision to not seek re-election was not made easily, but I have reached a point in my life where I desire to pursue other opportunities which will afford me more time with my family, who recently suffered a great loss" Conway said in a prepared statement.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution said one of Conway's sons-in-law died following a battle with brain cancer.
Conway was first elected sheriff in 2016. He had previous law enforcement experience as a Gwinnett County Police Department officer and as the Chief of Police for the City of Lawrenceville, according to his biography on the Gwinnett County website.
Conway indicated in his statement he would like to pass the torch to Chief Deputy Lou Solis, who went to work for Gwinnett County after serving as the Assistant Chief in the City of Braselton.
"I hired Chief Deputy Lou Solis two years ago with the intention of preparing him to succeed me," Conway said. "Chief Deputy Solis has worked exhaustively over the past two years to familiarize himself with our operations. His work ethic is unparalleled and his contributions to our office are great. He has demonstrated outstanding leadership time and time again."
Conway thanked his supporters in his written statement.
"I thank the many faithful supporters who placed their trust in me election after election over the past two decades," Conway said. "I will always be thankful for the opportunity you provided me to serve as your sheriff and hope the positive contributions we’ve made together will continue to benefit our community for many years to come."
