Balch for sheriff

To The Eagle:

The ballots are out, so the sheriff’s election is soon to be carved in stone, but there’s time, perhaps, for a tad more demystification of the campaign. Or, look at it as an offer of a cool cloth to apply to the fevered brows of political contention.

One of the recurring bones of contention is the hijacking of campaign signs. This has happened to both sides and in almost all neighborhoods. You can drive yourself nuts with psychology and reverse psychology. Did Smith’s supporters steal Jones’ signs? Did Smith’s supporters steal his own signs hoping to make Jones look bad? Or were they all stolen by local drunks and druggies for entertainment? It’s all an unfortunate side effect of retail politics and should be chalked off as a non-issue.

Mike Balch has been criticized both in these pages and in the Westend forum for not “working his way up” by putting time in as undersheriff. It should be noted that the undersheriff position is an appointed, non-union position. The undersheriff serves at the pleasure of the sheriff. For a seasoned deputy, acceptance of that position is sort of a demotion involving a considerable cut in pay. It would also be a poor deployment of personnel for the sheriff to move an experienced deputy into this mostly daytime and mostly administrative position, although when it becomes available, it is generally offered out of courtesy, and is always politely declined. All of our current senior deputies have had the offer at some point in the past, and all have demurred. Another non-issue.

Howard Brawn, Puget Island