With 20 years in the elective office, Sheriff Lawrence Leveille has served longer than any sheriff in the county’s history – longer than Edward Biddle, the first sheriff in 1820 who served for 12 years, longer than William McCauley, who watched over the county for 11 years through the Great Depression and much of prohibition, longer than Roland Cheeseman, sheriff for 13 years, spanning World War II and the Korean War, longer even than Phillip “Dody” Schaefer, the 14-year veteran who hired Mr. Leveille as a marine deputy in 1979.

Mr. Leveille is a 1962 graduate of LaSalle High School and began his career in law enforcement when he joined the St. Ignace Police Department May 25, 1965, the same year he married Ara Jean Litzner, on September 11.

He ran for sheriff in 1984 after serving four years as the undersheriff under Ben Thompson, and as he looks back now, his stint as the 37th man to hold the office has been all about service.

“Trying to satisfy people, working with the people has been rewarding,” he said.

New technology and better training for officers has allowed the department to keep pace with an increasing county population. Drunk driving arrests have decreased, he said, in part because of the consequences, and other crimes have not increased any more than the population.

Cameras mounted in patrol cars and in the booking room at the Mackinac County jail have been a good safety tool for officers and have reduced the number of trials, since the actions they record are difficult to dispute in court, said Sheriff Leveille. They also serve to calm the demeanor of those under arrest, he added.

Faster fingerprint and background searches also help officers, and the Straits Area Narcotics Enforcement (SANE), the undercover collaboration of seven counties which Sheriff Leveille helped to organize, keeps an eye on drug traffic.

There have been tough times, like in the early 1970s. “There was one year that we had 12 drownings in this county,” he recalled. “It took us 35 days to get a closure on the last one. One day we were done working and I went home and sat at my kitchen table, looked out at the lake, wondered what tomorrow was going to bring.”

And while it took 35 days to find the body, he said, being able to finally bring closure to the family was the reward of service.

With a staff of 22 people, Sheriff Leveille commands the largest department budget in the county, about $1.5 million, he estimates, much of it reimbursed through state and federal program grants. Ten corrections officers run the jail, serve civil papers, and operate the office, and six road officers, a nine-months-a-year Bois Blanc Island officer, an undersheriff, two cooks, and two marine officers round out the staff.

The jail has 28 beds and the county is currently housing eight inmates from other counties, each of which generates $35 a day, which supports the operation.

But as the county population continues to grow, Mr. Leveille says, the department will need to expand, increasing coverage toward around-the-clock patrol and enlarging the jail to give judges more sentencing options.

“Down the road I would look at trying to get a couple more officers, and the jail should be renovated to accommodate at least 60 people,” he said.

“With 60 beds, you could probably house 12 to 15 people (from out of county) to offset your increase and then you would have a workable solution for the county as well as for the court system.”

The courts work closely with the Sheriff, he said, in determining the capacity of the jail when sentencing. With a larger facility, he said, judges “probably wouldn’t be so strapped as to the time they give these individuals.”

He tried several times while Sheriff to expand the facility. A millage was defeated and the county board of commissioners had other priorities when he sought a grant.

Incoming Sheriff Scott Strait, now a deputy covering eastern Mackinac County, should have a smooth transition, said Mr. Leveille. “He should have no problem taking over the reins. He just has to come in and adjust to the staff we have now.”

The entire staff, except the undersheriff, belongs to the union. Bob Muter, who has served as undersheriff for nine years under Mr. Leveille, will return to road patrol, allowing Mr. Strait to select his own second in command.

As for his new role as county commissioner, Mr. Leveille looks forward to brining harmony to the Court House staff.

“I campaigned to get the harmony back on the board,” he said. “I can go on that board, and basically I’m walking across the street. I worked with these people, these department heads, such as I was. I feel that if you take time to work together, you get a lot more resolved, which means you have got to have a harmony between all the players.

Only two department heads in the county are appointed, the equalization director and the MSU Extension director, and Mr. Leveille said he understands the politics of working with elected department heads. Issues, he said, “should be discussed in a manner that you can arrive at a solution.” Department heads should be brought into the discussions. Commissioners should not try to “railroad” their policies, he added.

As for replacing Jill Eyre, the former administrator who left last month for a job downstate, Mr. Leveille thinks the position should be replaced with an executive secretary to the board. He said he is not sure what administrative duties would be eliminated in such a move, but believes eliminating the administrator position will save the county money.

Hundreds of friends and co-workers recognized Lumpy Leveille at a retirement party last Thursday, December 2, at Little Bear East in St. Ignace, showering him with awards and enjoying a buffet meal. Among the awards were a state resolution signed by Governor Jennifer Granholm, State Senator Jason Allen, and U.S. Congressman Bart Stupak, presented by Mackinac County Prosecutor Clayton Graham, who was master of ceremonies during the evening. A resolution from the Mackinac County Board of Commissioners was presented by Chairman Michael Litzner, Mr. Leveille’s brother-in-law, who said they were more like brothers. St. Ignace Mayor Bruce Dodson gave him a key to city and a resolution, Mackinac Island Alderman Armand “Smi” Horn presented a resolution, and Lt. Craig Tamlyn gave him a plaque commemorating the cooperation the two agencies enjoyed.

County employees collected enough money to buy Mr. Leveille a season golf pass and storage for his golf cart and other gifts were presented by the St. Ignace Police Department, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and Bay Mills Indian Community.

Mr. Leveille’s son, Todd, a State Police trooper stationed at Richmond, also read a tribute to his father.

Now, about that nickname, Lumpy.

“That came up in 10th grade,” he said, when he sported a cool pompadour hairdo, with a two long curls on the front of his head. “I had two gobs of them out there,” he recalls.

“One of my fellow classmates said, ‘Hey look at that lumpy there,’ and the name stuck. There were enough guys in that class that kept it going.”

Everyone knew him as Lumpy, and when he ran for sheriff, he used it in his campaign. “If I answered the phone with Larry or Lawrence,” he said, nobody knew who I was. I had to say Lumpy.”

He and Ara Jean reared five children who now range in age from 33 to 38. All but Todd, the trooper, live in St. Ignace. Thresa and Ronald France have three children, Tammy and Tom Fitzpatrick have two children, Todd and Kristi have a young girl, Troy and his former wife, Leighann, have two boys, and Travis and Marina have three children.