VIENNA — Buddy Thompson, 53, previously ran for sheriff in 2012 and 2020. He is the owner and operator of Bud’s Auto in Vienna and a lifelong Maries County resident.

“I know Maries County basically like the back of my hand,” he said. “I’m the same to you, to him, to everybody else. What you see is what you get. I’m not a politician. I never have been, and I never will be. But I want what’s best for the county and for the people of the county.”

Although Thompson said he is not a politician, he added that he knows that as sheriff, he would have a job to do.

“I’ll be my normal person until I have to be the job, and then you have to do the job,” he said. “And I don’t care who you are when I do the job. I have a job to do. And I’ve always been that way.”

Thompson said changes in the county over time are what motivates him to continue to run for sheriff.

“I know where this county used to be,” he said. “I know where it is now. And I would like to see it back to where it used to be.”

Public perception of Thompson’s campaign has been that it is a quiet one. He entered the race near the end of the filing period, and his campaign signs popped up later than his opponents. He said the lower profile is intentional.

“I’ve run a very quiet, positive campaign, and I will continue to run that,” he said. “I will not say anything bad against either of my opponents.”

Thompson’s history in law enforcement began in 1987 when he was 17 years old. Someone approached him with an opportunity to begin work as a dispatcher under former Sheriff Roy Bassett’s administration. Later, Thompson became one of the last deputies that Bassett commissioned before his death in the line of duty in 1994.

“I never even gave (a law enforcement career) a thought until I was approached about working for him,” he said. “Once I got into the dispatch side of things, we were able to ride along with those guys. Then once you hit a certain age, you could actually be out on the road as a reserve deputy. We weren’t allowed to be by ourselves, of course, but you could be a reserve and ride along with the deputies. Then, it got in my blood, basically.”

Thompson mentioned many mentors he had before and after joining the sheriff’s office. He said he learned a lot in Leonard Buschmann’s small engine mechanics class at Vienna High School and working for Melvin Wansing at his station.

“As far as who guided me and worked me through (law enforcement), that would be Roy Bassett,” he said. “I was a reserve underneath him. I never worked full-time under him. But he was a great man. I had a lot of good people guiding me.”

Thompson said that as someone who entered law enforcement at a younger age than most he has learned a lot about the field.

“A huge part of it is knowing the laws, and you’ve got to enforce them,” he said. “And treating people the way you want to be treated. And being able to walk up to people on the street and actually have a conversation with them, knowing their names, talking to them. It doesn’t matter where you’re at. It will help you more than anything. When you put that badge on, it should not change you. And it changes a lot of people. It never did change me.”

Thompson emphasized communication as an essential skill for law enforcement officers.

“If I can talk to you and get it worked out knowing what’s going to happen as the end result anyway, that’s the best way to go,” he said. “And honesty. You have to be honest with people.”

When Thompson started working at the sheriff’s office, requirements for officers was different than it is now.

“Back then you didn’t actually have to go through the academy,” he said. “You could be in law enforcement without that. They sent me through the 120 (hour training program).”

When Thompson took a job working security for the Missouri National Guard (MONG) at the Ike Skelton Training Site in Jefferson City, he needed more training, so he went through another 180 hours of training. Thompson’s additional training includes the annual 24 hours of Continuing Law Enforcement Education requirements from the Peace Officer Standards and Training guidelines set by the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

Throughout Thompson’s time working security for MONG, he remained a reserve deputy and dispatcher with Maries County. During his first year with MONG, he was a security guard while construction of the complex occurred. Eventually, he became a security shift supervisor and managed four or five security personnel during a shift. He continued to work the job for six years.

Eventually, Thompson left his role at MONG when a full-time position opened up with the Maries County Sheriff’s Office. He became a full-time deputy under former Sheriff Doug DiNatale’s administration, and he continued as a full-time deputy for approximately 12 years. During Sheriff Chris Heitman’s first term, Thompson continued as a reserve officer until he filed to run against Heitman in the 2012 election.

More job opportunities came along during and following Thompson’s time with the sheriff’s office. He has been a bus driver with the Maries R-1 School District for more than 20 years. Fifteen years ago, he bought the shop that became Bud’s Auto.

After Thompson’s relationship ended with the sheriff’s office, he became a reserve officer for the Vienna Police Department. He has continued as a reserve officer while also operating his shop.

Although Thompson has not been a full-time officer for many years, he said he believes his reserve work and continued training have kept him from falling behind in law enforcement experience.

“I don’t think I’m missing any,” he said. “I’ve got the exact same training hours that everyone else has. I do the exact same continuing eds that all the rest of them have.”

Thompson is proud of Bud’s Auto’s reputation and the fact that he has had the same employee since he bought the business 15 years ago. However, he recognized that he would have to give up the shop if he became sheriff. He said he has a deal worked out to sell it to his employee if he is elected

“There’s no way to run this and (be sheriff) and do it right,” he said. “And I would not do that at all.”

Thompson has been married to his high school sweetheart Deana for more than 30 years. They are longtime members of Kenner Church of God. They have one daughter, Danielle, who Thompson said helps with the online component of his campaign.