By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – In the race for St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff, Wayne L. Jones will have some competition as he pursues his final term in office this fall.

LaPlace business owner Aaron Lions said this week that he has officially thrown his name into contention for the race for sheriff. Lions and Jones are the only two candidates so far to announce intentions of running for the office in October.

Lions, 46, had considered running in the last election in 2007 but said he did not want to run against those already in the race. This time, he said, dozens of friends and family members encouraged him to get involved.

“I just think it is time for a change,” Lions said. “I have heard so many people talk about how things are, and they don’t like it. They want something new.”

Lions was born and raised in St. John Parish and is the fourth-generation owner and operator of Jacob’s Andouille, a sausage-making venture started by his great-grandparents in 1928. He also has experience in law enforcement, having worked about nine years as an auxiliary member of the Sheriff’s Office.

“I worked undercover in narcotics, I worked railroad details and also assisted deputies and State Police with accidents,” Lions said. “I worked as a diver in search-and-rescue situations and was also a hearing-impaired interpreter, helping troopers and deputies with sign language.”

Lions said his biggest issue with the department is that he believes that the sheriff is not as accessible as he should be. He is hard to reach and not visible in the community, said Lions.

“The one thing I always hear from people is that you never can talk to him personally,” Lions said. “He has a very roundabout way of scheduling appointments and communicating, and I want to stop that. I want to make sure I can be reached at all times.”

Lions said there are other issues but did not want to get into them this early in the game. He said he has every intention of running a positive campaign as long as others in the race stay positive.

“I have every intention of going all the way with this,” Lions said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

The election for sheriff is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Official qualifying is set for Sept. 6 through Sept. 8.