ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Mark Archer is running for Essex County Sheriff.
BY BRIDGET TURCOTTE
LYNN — An East Lynn native with a background in law enforcement has his eye on the Essex County Sheriff’s seat.
“I have more knowledge of Essex County than any candidate running, by far,” said Mark Archer, who submitted certified nomination papers at the beginning of the month.
Other candidates include Kenneth Berg, Kevin Coppinger, Michael Marks and Paul Russell.
The sheriff operates the Essex County House of Correction and Middleton Jail, and oversees the Women in Transition Program in Salisbury, and three Offices of Community Corrections, including one in Lynn.
Archer was raised on Timson Street. He grew up with nine siblings. His parents worked at General Electric Co. to support the family.
Before his career with the Massachusetts State Police Department, Archer was a plumber.
After graduating from Lynn Vocational Technical High School in 1980, he and his wife, Mary, moved to Maple Street. They became foster parents and took in a dozen children before having two of their own. A year ago, they became grandparents to a little girl named Amaryllis.
Archer was a union plumber Union for five years, then became a master plumber in the mid-80s, and started his own business.
In 1988, Archer graduated from the police academy and became a state trooper.
He worked undercover in a drug unit from 1992 to 1997, teaming up with local police departments and federal agencies. He studied criminal justice at Springfield College in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Archer worked with the hotel drug interdiction unit, focused on seizing and confiscating drugs from high level drug dealers. Later, he transferred to the certification unit, licensing law enforcement and conducting background checks.
He graduated from New England School of Law school in 2004 and he serves as an attorney representing bankruptcy, personal injury law, and civil cases.
While he has moved from Lynn, Archer said he still has many ties to the area.
If he secures the seat, he vowed to strengthen what current Sheriff Frank Cousins already has in place, and implement new strategies to combat the opioid epidemic. He also wants to create more transparency within the department, he said.
Archer wants to start a mentoring program that target people sent to the house of corrections for the first time. The individuals would be evaluated to see if other forms of help are needed. Families and children could also be mentored, he said.
“I’m not a politician,” Archer said. “I’ve never done this before. I think the department needs more transparency. I would like to have an open door and open book policy.”
He also said that if employees of the department feel more valued, it will be easier to retain correction officers, rather than hire people who use the job as a stepping stone in their career.
Archer said he believes his training and experience and wealth of law enforcement experience qualify him for the position.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte
