MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio  -  A 22-year veteran of the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department has officially thrown his hat in to the ring for the office of sheriff.

Jerry Greene, who rose to the rank of captain at the department, will run in next year's Democratic primary in an effort to succeed Sheriff Randall Wellington.  

Sheriff Wellington announced last week that he plans to retire at the end of his term.

Jerry Greene resigned his civil service rank as captain on Wednesday morning as required by law to run for the partisan political position.

Greene will assume a civilian position at the sheriff's department as Director of Jail Services during the campaign, and he says he'll focus on solving the staffing problem and returning the  jail to a fully functioning facility.  Currently the jail has two pods shut down which is equivalent to 200 beds.  

Greene told 21 News that he's the best candidate for the job for a number of reasons, "Working up through the ranks, I learned the job and I know the people here and the men and women of this department do an excellent job and I care about them.  I'm educated, I'm experienced, I'm well trained and I'm honest."

Green is a Boardman High School graduate and has a bachelors degree from Youngstown State University in law enforcement and business management.  He also has certification from the FBI Academy.