NATCHEZ — Concordia Parish Sheriff Randy Maxwell went to the polls Saturday without casing a vote for himself for the first time in his nearly 23 years as sheriff.

“It was different, I assure you that,” Maxwell said of seeing the ballot filled with three names, none of them his.

But the change was a good one, he said.

“I’m very comfortable with it. There comes a time to come and a time to go.”

Maxwell said he was pleased for the candidates and the community that Saturday’s election produced an outright winner in former Ferriday Police Chief Kenneth Hedrick, who received 51.5 percent of the votes.

“Nobody wants to go through a second round,” Maxwell said.

All three candidates — Hedrick, Charles “Junior” Tarver and Robert “Rock” Davis — ran a clean, professional race, Maxwell said.

“I’m proud of all of them,” he said.

Maxwell said he has continually been re-elected more than any other sitting elected official in the parish, and each race was different.

While Maxwell ran unopposed twice and has enjoyed landslide victories, he said he has also squeezed by with a margin of only 25-30 votes.

“I’ve had a wonderful career, absolutely wonderful,” he said. “The Lord has blessed me.”

Maxwell said he will work with Hedrick to make the transition of the top law enforcement position in the parish a smooth one.

“I look forward to working with Kenneth,” he said. “I’ve known his entire law enforcement career.”

Maxwell said he wants to help acquaint Hedrick with the job before the new sheriff in town officially takes the reigns on July 1.

The sheriff manages 260 employees, 1,500 prisoners and a $15 million budget, Maxwell said, so getting a jump-start on Hedrick’s learning curve will be helpful.

Maxwell said he wants to do whatever is possible until his retirement and after it to help Hedrick and the sheriff’s office.

“I hope (Hedrick) is extremely successful,” Maxwell said.

And while Maxwell said he will miss the people he works with and those he met on the campaign trail, he will not miss the 3 a.m. phone calls or delivering bad news to families that comes with being sheriff.

“I’ve been wearing a badge for 40 years, and I think it’s time for somebody else to have the opportunity,” he said.