Bradford (Vt.) Police Chief Jeff Stiegler writes down information at a car accident in Bradford, Vt., on August 6, 2012. (Valley News - Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Bradford (Vt.) Police Chief Jeff Stiegler writes down information at a car accident in Bradford, Vt., on August 6, 2012. (Valley News - Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: Valley News file photograph

North Haverhill — Doug Dutile, Grafton County’s sheriff for the last 14 years, lost his seat this week as Democrats made gains across the Granite State, helped by high turnout in some key college towns.

Dutile, a Republican, said in an email on Wednesday that he lost a re-election bid against Bradford, Vt., Police Chief Jeff Stiegler, a Democrat, by about 3,500 votes.

The New Hampshire Secretary of State’s Office later released a tally showing Stiegler won, 21,577-17,353, a difference of 4,224.

Stiegler’s victory came on the heels of a Democratic takeover of the New Hampshire Senate, House and Executive Council and was helped by turnout in some of Grafton County’s largest communities.

The police chief won decisively in Hanover, 4,578-1,117; in Lebanon, 3,726-2,164; and Plymouth, 1,567-898. Meanwhile, Dutile won the North Country town of Littleton, 1,265-912.

“I want to thank the voters of Grafton County for coming out,” Stiegler said on Wednesday. “It’s just amazing to see so many people come out and cast votes.”

Stiegler, who lives in North Haverhill and is a certified police officer in both of the twin states, has worked for Bradford police for about five years and plans to continue leading the department through the end of the year. He previously worked for more than 20 years at the Laconia (N.H.) Police Department, and still works part time for the Plymouth State University police.

“I’m looking forward to the transition in 2019, but I’m going to stay focused on my priorities here in Bradford until that time,” Stiegler said.

Messages left for Dutile on Wednesday requesting comment on the race were not returned.

In other county races, Register of Deeds Kelley Monahan, an Orford Democrat, handily turned back a challenge from Littleton-area Republican Brad Bailey, 23,497-14,954.

And while Plymouth-area Republican County Commissioner Omer Ahern Jr. was ousted by Marcia Morris, a writer from Hebron, N.H.; County Commissioners Linda Lauer and Wendy Piper both were re-elected.

Stiegler ran on a platform of expanding the sheriff’s department outreach to citizens and maintaining fiscal responsibility, while his competitor touted his more than 40 years in law enforcement — 27 years as a sheriff’s department deputy and 14 as sheriff.

Stiegler is poised to take the reins of a department that dwarfs the one he currently runs in Bradford, which consists of a chief, administrative assistant and three part-time officers.

By comparison, the sheriff oversees a staff of 55 and a dispatch center than handles emergency calls for more than 50 communities.

The sheriff is also charged with managing a $2.8 million budget, which is roughly 14 times the size of the Bradford police department’s budget. The sheriff’s job pays about $63,700, according to the county budget.

Bradford’s five-member Selectboard will likely discuss the town’s soon-to-be open position during its regular meeting tonight, Selectboard Chairman Ted Unkles said.

“We really hadn’t discussed what the plans are because we wanted to wait to see what the election results were first,” he said on Wednesday afternoon.

“We will miss Jeff, and we wish him the best,” Unkles said. “(We are) very, very pleased with his work as our police chief, and we don’t want to lose him.”

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.