Gwinnett County sheriff to not seek re-election

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - Gwinnett County's longtime sheriff has announced that he will not seek re-election this year.

Republican Butch Conway, who has been sheriff of the county for 24 years, announced his decision on Facebook Tuesday morning.

"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. The sheriff made it clear, this was a personal decision, not political.

"That's been a big loss. I really didn't talk about it, but it was in the press release. It['s affected our family.  I have a daughter and want to help now. That's not the only reason though," the sheriff revealed in a Tuesday morning news conference.

In his announcement, Conway also endorsed Chief Deputy Lou Solis, who had joined the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office two years ago,  to succeed him.

Solis is a native of Brownsville, Texas, and worked as the Assistant Police Chief of the Braselton Police Department before joining the Sheriff's Office. He also served for 20 years with the U.S. Army Special Operations.

"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," Conway said. "He has demonstrated outstanding leadership time and time again. I am certain that Lou Solis will continue to make the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office a standout."

Solis joins a number of Democratic candidates who are also running for the position. No Democrat ran in 2016 when Conway beat former deputy Keith Van Nus.

As for the sheriff, he will pursue opportunities in private enterprise and property investments.