GREENFIELD — Interim Franklin County Sheriff Lori M. Streeter has announced plans to run for sheriff and seek the Democratic nomination on the November 2026 ballot.

Streeter took the oath of office at the end of January, replacing the retiring Christopher Donelan, after Gov. Maura Healey selected her for the position. She was sworn in as interim sheriff by Kristen Elechko, who serves as western Massachusetts director with the Governor’s Office, in a ceremony at the jail on Jan. 31.

“The morale in the jail is really, really good. The staff are really happy, they’ve been very supportive,” Streeter said. “And part of that comes from knowing me, me being there so long. We’ve really got positive momentum going into the campaign. I feel really comfortable with what we’re going to be doing. I’m an inclusive leader, transparent, and so I think the people feel really good about that and really just want to jump onboard.”

Streeter said a campaign kickoff event is planned for Montague Elks Lodge 2521 on Friday, March 28, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. The 2026 special election will decide who fills the final two years of Donelan’s unexpired six-year term.

Streeter took the place of 14-year veteran Donelan, who helped transform the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction from a typical one focused on incarceration to one with a trauma-informed treatment model. Streeter has vowed to continue maintaining that culture. She has prioritized treatment of mental health and substance use disorders, and supported the establishment of Franklin County’s Community Justice Support Center in conjunction with the state Office of Community Corrections.

“I think that we’ve proven that those things have been successful,” she said, adding that the majority of corrections officers she has known in her career have been incredibly compassionate people. “Even in the olden days of corrections, that’s what I saw, particularly in Franklin County.”

Streeter, 61, said she would like to focus on inmates’ re-entry from jail back into the community and eventually establish a women’s pre-release program, which is designed to help individuals transition back into society by providing services, training and support. She said there is currently little focus on women’s re-entry because there are so few female inmates.

“We do tremendous work in the community in these dire times,” she said, specifically mentioning the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office TRIAD Program, a crime-prevention and wellness initiative aimed at protecting the safety and welfare of our senior citizens. “Those elders would be at a loss without us.”

In the past year, TRIAD has distributed at least $600,000 worth of free medical equipment to senior citizens.

Streeter, who grew up in Shelburne Falls and now lives in Greenfield with her wife Maggie, graduated from Westfield State College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and an associate degree in social work. She started working part-time as a corrections officer in 1985 and became full-time 10 years later, working her way up to both superintendent and special sheriff. A superintendent runs the 320-bed facility’s day-to-day operations and a special sheriff serves if the sheriff is out of the state.

Streeter said she has already met with at least four area police chiefs, and the state’s sheriffs meet monthly.

When it comes to who Streeter might face on the ballot in November 2026, local attorney and Garden Cinemas co-owner Isaac Mass announced in early February that he was launching an exploratory committee to evaluate a potential run for sheriff. Mass, a 48-year-old Republican who has filed organizational paperwork with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, said forming a committee is the first step to gauging public support for a possible candidacy.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.