Politics

Sandy Zamor Calixte to run for Suffolk County sheriff

The 16-year sheriff's department veteran was most recently its chief of external affairs and communications.

Sandy Zamor Calixte, who works for Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins, announced she plans to run against him for the position. David L Ryan/Globe Staff

By Ethan Steinberg

January 6, 2022

2 minutes to read

Sixteen-year veteran of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department Sandy Zamor Calixte announced on Wednesday her candidacy for the office’s top position.

The longtime aide will challenge current sheriff Steve Tompkins, who has served in the position since 2013 and confirmed to GBH News Wednesday that he plans to seek reelection.

Zamor Calixte, 48, launched her campaign at a press conference outside Mildred Avenue Community Center in Mattapan. Speaking to reporters, Zamor Calixte said she is running for the position to change the narrative that people have to choose between supporting law enforcement and supporting reform for public safety.

“After working within the system behind the scenes, and advocating behind the scenes, it is clear to me the only way to implement the change that we need for the community and the employees at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department is new leadership,” Zamor Calixte said. “I am that new leadership.”

If elected, the candidate said she hopes to focus on education, housing, and helping previously incarcerated individuals, especially those who are Black and Latino, re-enter their communities.

“I’m not a politician, I have never run for office,” she said. “But I know I have the experience, vision, passion, and integrity that the department needs for the change.”

A daughter of Haitian immigrants, Zamor Calixte has served in the sheriff’s office since 2006, when she was hired as the coordinator of youth outreach and community programming, according to her campaign website. The longtime aide was promoted to director of external affairs in 2013, and a year later, to the chief of external affairs and communications, a position she held until resigning earlier this week to focus on her campaign.

In her most recent position, Zamor Calixte oversaw several programs, including the Jail Break, Choice and Summer Enrichment programs, that focused on education and crime prevention.

Zamor Calixte holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Northeastern University and a graduate certificate in social justice from the Harvard Extension School.

The Suffolk County sheriff oversees the Suffolk County Jail, the House of Correction, and the Suffolk County Community Corrections Center, according to the department’s website.