Shelby County Sheriff Mark Luttrell is running for county mayor in the May 4 GOP primaries.

“Probably the toughest part of this decision process was deciding the leave the sheriff’s office,” he said. “I have a very deep, abiding loyalty to the sheriff’s office.”

Luttrell made his decision overnight and began telling friends and political supporters late Tuesday morning.

Luttrell had ruled out a bid for mayor late last year. He had already filed his qualifying petition on Jan. 14 to run for another term as sheriff.

But last month, Bank of Bartlett president Harold Byrd decided not to run in the Democratic mayoral primary.

“It was a consideration to a degree,” Luttrell said. “He and I talked. It certainly was one of many factors.”

But Luttrell said the central factor was his success as sheriff during two terms in office.

“I just felt like I had some skills that I could bring to the mayor’s office to address some of those issues,” he said. “We’ve got some challenges in Shelby County as it relates to economic development, jobs, job creation. Public safety – there’s a role for the mayor in public safety in working in that area.”

So far, Democratic Shelby County Commissioner Deidre Malone is the only candidate who has filed in the May 4 mayoral primaries.

But interim Shelby County mayor Joe Ford has said he is considering a bid in the Democratic primary as well, despite initially saying he would not be a candidate in 2010.

Read more in Wednesday’s print edition of The Daily News.