New Franklin County sheriff sworn in

Franklin County’s new interim Sheriff Lori Streeter is sworn in by Kristen Elechko, who serves as western Massachusetts director with the Governor’s Office, in a ceremony held at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction in Greenfield on Friday.

Franklin County’s new interim Sheriff Lori Streeter is sworn in by Kristen Elechko, who serves as western Massachusetts director with the Governor’s Office, in a ceremony held at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction in Greenfield on Friday. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Franklin County’s new interim Sheriff Lori Streeter, center, is flanked by new Superintendent Jason Kilgour, left, and Kristen Elechko, western Massachusetts director with the Governor’s Office, at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction on Friday.

Franklin County’s new interim Sheriff Lori Streeter, center, is flanked by new Superintendent Jason Kilgour, left, and Kristen Elechko, western Massachusetts director with the Governor’s Office, at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction on Friday. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Staff members applaud Franklin County’s new interim Sheriff Lori Streeter after she was sworn in at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction in Greenfield on Friday.

Staff members applaud Franklin County’s new interim Sheriff Lori Streeter after she was sworn in at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction in Greenfield on Friday. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

Franklin County’s new interim Sheriff Lori Streeter.

Franklin County’s new interim Sheriff Lori Streeter. STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ

By DOMENIC POLI

Staff Writer

Published: 02-03-2025 3:01 PM

GREENFIELD — Franklin County has a new sheriff, as Lori Streeter took the oath of office on Friday afternoon with staff members looking on.

Streeter was sworn in as interim sheriff by Kristen Elechko, who serves as western Massachusetts director with the Governor’s Office, after being selected for the position by Gov. Maura Healey earlier in the week. She fills the role previously held by retiring Sheriff Christopher Donelan.

“It was great,” Streeter said. “I’m very, very grateful.”

Streeter will serve until 2026, when she can run in her own right in a special election. Whoever wins that race will serve for two years and can determine if they want to run again in 2028, which will begin a new six-year term.

Streeter, 61, has been employed at the Franklin County Jail and House of Correction in Greenfield since 1985, working her way up from correctional officer 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 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. This includes Franklin County’s Pre-Release and Post-Release Re-Entry programs.

“Superintendent Lori Streeter is a widely respected leader who has dedicated her career to serving the people of Franklin County,” Healey said in a statement Tuesday announcing Streeter’s appointment. “She knows the Sheriff’s Office and House of Correction inside and out, and she has spent years getting to know staff and inmates and earning their trust. She has also prioritized mental health and substance use treatment and re-entry programs, which enhance public health and public safety. I’m proud to appoint her as interim sheriff and know she is an excellent choice to fill the shoes of Sheriff Donelan.”

Streeter, who grew up in Shelburne Falls and now lives in Greenfield with her wife Maggie, serves as chair of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Women in Criminal Justice Conference and was previously chair of the Massachusetts Sheriffs’ Association’s Education and Training Committee. She graduated from Westfield State College with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and an associate degree in social work.

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She replaces Donelan, who announced his retirement in early January after 37 years of public service and 14 years as sheriff. He was last elected in 2022.

“Clearly the governor wanted a professional pick, and she is that,” Donelan said of Streeter earlier this week. “And she struggled through a male-dominated culture and emerged at the top.”

Donelan transformed the facility from a typical one focused on incarceration to one with a trauma-informed treatment model, and Streeter said she plans to continue spearheading Donelan’s initiatives.

“As of right now I’m just looking to get my arms around the staff and make sure that they’re comfortable,” she said in her new office. “[Donelan] was such an influential, progressive sheriff that it’s going to be difficult to follow in his footsteps. But I’ve been by his side the whole way … and I have a really competent senior staff, so I think we’re in really good shape.

“He was amazing, absolutely amazing,” she added. “Having a front seat to that was pretty powerful as well.”

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