CHOOSING THE RIGHT SHERIFF

Dane County has not seen an open contest for the job of sheriff in
many years. But the retirement of Sheriff Gary Hamblin, who was
appointed to his position by former Gov. Tommy Thompson and then
regularly re-elected, has created just such an opening, and an
impressive group of candidates is stepping up to fill Dane County's
chief law enforcement post.

In heavily Democratic Dane County, veteran Sheriff's Detective Dave
Mahoney probably ranks as the front-runner. Not only is Mahoney a
Democrat, he announced his campaign this week at a rally that featured
a who's who of local party leaders, including former Gov. Tony Earl,
Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and County Board Chairman Scott
McDonell.

But it looks as if Mahoney will face a serious Democratic primary
challenge from Robert Lowery, an administrator for the state Justice
Department who brings impressive credentials to the competition.
Lowery hasn't formally entered the contest, but he's indicated that he
will soon.

If there is a Democratic primary, the winner of that primary will go
up against Republican Mike Hanson, a Madison police officer and Dane
County supervisor, whose role as spokesman for the city's Police
Department has given him a high profile in local media.

Our sense at this early stage in the competition is that any of these
three contenders could do the job. What we'll be looking for are
indications of a willingness on the part of the candidates to come up
with thoughtful proposals for how to address criminal justice issues
in a county that is growing and changing rapidly.

We won't be impressed with candidates who say they want to build a
bigger jail. Dane County already incarcerates too many individuals who
should be in drug and alcohol treatment programs and other
alternatives to imprisonment. And we won't be impressed with
candidates who suggest that Dane County will be made safer and more
secure simply by spending more money on policing.

While the Sheriff's Office budget will continue to increase and more
deputies will need to be hired, Dane County's next sheriff must
recognize - as Hamblin did - that some of the best investments in
public safety fund programs that help keep young people out of the
criminal justice system.

The next Dane County sheriff will need to be a bold and innovative
thinker, as well as a good lawman. And he will need to be a leader who
is willing to participate in statewide debates on issues such as the
death penalty, misguided drug policies, and the proposal to amend the
state constitution in order to discriminate against gays and lesbians.

Mahoney gets credit for noting in his announcement that the proposed
amendment would make it harder to recruit qualified candidates to fill
deputy positions in Dane County. He also gets credit for stating
plainly, "I don't believe in state-sanctioned discrimination."

Presumably, the other contenders share Mahoney's view and will be
equally outspoken, as Dane County is not about to elect a sheriff who
does not believe in equal protection under the law.