Village of Ridgeway Marshal's Office WI

06/07/2026

June 6, 2026, 1915 hours

For Immediate Media Release:

RIDGEWAY, Wis. — When Michael Gorham signed off at 7:15 p.m. on June 6, he brought a 37-year law enforcement career to a close and marked the end of the Ridgeway Marshal’s Office, one of the last agencies of its kind in Wisconsin.

With his retirement, policing in the village will shift to the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office under a service contract, marking the end of a chapter in Ridgeway’s civic history.

Both commitment and hardship shaped Gorham’s path to public service. After high school, he enlisted in the Army ROTC and the Illinois National Guard.

Following a medical discharge, he moved to Madison, experienced a period of homelessness, and later found work in private security before entering public safety. He returned to police work in 2018 as Ridgeway’s marshal.

That broad service background continued in Ridgeway, where Gorham led one of only two remaining marshals’ offices in Wisconsin. Alongside his police duties, he also served as an AEMT with Dodgeville Area Ambulance Service and Barneveld Area Rescue Squad.

Before arriving in Ridgeway, Gorham retired in 2017 from the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office after 28 years, most of them in patrol. He also held leadership posts there, including Night Officer in Charge.

Over the course of his career, he also served as a field training officer, ATV patrol officer, bank robbery response training coordinator, negotiator, tactical medic, Wisconsin State Clandestine Lab Team member, and agency instructor.

His experience later expanded into training and instruction. Beginning in 2012, Gorham taught TECC/TEMS awareness and Rescue Task Force programs across southwestern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, and he later presented for Aaron Gorell’s Justice Clearing House.

Earlier in his career, Gorham served as chief of police in Hazel Green from 1997 to 2005. In 2004, he supervised the static security detail for President George W. Bush under the U.S. Secret Service.
On a personal note, Gorham, who was adopted, located his birth family in Hazel Green, Wisconsin, in March 2021, 20 years after serving there.

His work also drew recognition from two Wisconsin governors. Scott McCallum cited his efforts to strengthen homeland security in southwestern Wisconsin through grant initiatives and training, while Tommy Thompson recognized him for narcotics enforcement.
He also served with regional drug task forces, including the Iowa Grant Drug Task Force, the Wisconsin River Anti-Drug Task Force, and the multi-jurisdictional CLEAR team led by the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation.

Gorham gave numerous presentations to state lawmakers on methamphetamine issues. One idea he shared with former State Representative Steven Freese later became Wisconsin Statute 961.443, addressing the illegal dumping of methamphetamine waste.

Earlier, from 1994 to 1997, he served as police chief in South Wayne, focusing on traffic education and enforcement. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the American Coalition for Traffic Safety recognized two of his innovative traffic safety programs.

In 1995, a pursuit he initiated was featured in the television program Real Stories of the Highway Patrol in an episode titled “Wrong Turn.”

Gorham began his law enforcement career in 1989, serving in Avoca, Belleville, Monticello, and Poynette. He also worked part-time in the patrol division of the Green County Sheriff’s Office.
His background in service also included the Illinois National Guard, where he was a Scout Vehicle Commander for Troop E, 106th Cavalry, 33rd Infantry Brigade.

He was also an ROTC cadet at Western Illinois University and served with the Civil Air Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

In 2004, Gorham served as the Iowa Wing’s Drug Demand Reduction Administrator, and he continued to serve with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary until 2012.

His retirement closes not only a long career in public service, but also the final chapter of a Marshal’s Office that had now etched itself into the Village of Ridgeway’s identity.

06/06/2026

June 6, 2026

Dear Citizens of Ridgeway,

I want to once again thank all of you for making the last seven and a half years such a meaningful chapter in my life. When I retired in 2017, I truly believed my time in service had come to an end.

But in 2018, I was allowed to return and serve this community as your Marshal, and that gift has meant more to me than I can fully express.

Together, we built more than just a working relationship—we built a partnership grounded in communication, trust, and respect. Ridgeway has always been a place where people look out for one another, and I have been honored to be part of that spirit. No one person can do this work alone. It takes a community, a team, and people willing to stand together for something greater than themselves.

To the staff of the Village of Ridgeway, the Village Board members, and the three Village Presidents I had the privilege to work with, please accept my heartfelt gratitude. Your support, your trust, and your dedication to this community made all the difference.

I also want to say how deeply I appreciate the bond shared with the Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Department and First Response. Over the years, we stood side by side through difficult moments and important calls, and those experiences created something stronger than partnership—they made us family.

To our local business owners, thank you for the respect and support you showed me throughout my time here. It is not something I ever took for granted. It is a rare and humbling thing for an officer to walk into a local establishment and know the people there are behind him. That mutual respect meant a great deal to me.

To the many people I came to know during my years as Marshal, thank you for your kindness, your respect, and your trust. I hesitate to list names because I would never want to leave anyone out, but please know that each of you has been part of this journey, and I carry that with me.

There is one person I would like to mention by name—Debbie Dougherty, aka Doddle, one of my strongest supporters, who is no longer with us. Debbie believed in me, encouraged me, and helped lay part of the foundation for whatever success I had here. For that, I will always be grateful, and I extend my sincere thanks to her family.

Ridgeway will always hold a special place in my heart. My wife, Amber, and I have always wanted to see this village continue to grow, progress, and thrive. Even if it may seem that I have stepped quietly into the background, please know that Ridgeway will always remain close to me, and I will always be cheering for its future.

Soon, a new deputy sheriff from Iowa County will step into this role. My one request is simple: please extend to him the same kindness, support, and partnership that you so generously gave to me.

Thank you again for allowing me the honor of serving you. These years have been meaningful beyond words, and I will always remember them with gratitude and affection. Godspeed.

Respectfully submitted,
Michael J. F. Gorham
Village Marshal #715 – Retired

06/05/2026