The county sheriff is going to be MORE accountable if appointed by the board? I think that kind of idea is usually called nonsense.
Elections and appointments are both means of holding a public official accountable, however they have different strengths and weaknesses. Obviously, we don't want to elect every city or county officer. So, the question then becomes - how do we best select and hold our Sheriff accountable?
Some people claim that the Sheriff is much like the St. Paul Chief of Police. Why do we elect the Sheriff, but appoint the chief of Police? Why is one system better for one job, but the other better for the other? Or, is one system better than the other - and we just got it wrong in either the case of the Sheriff or the Chief of Police.
I'd like to ask Chris (or anyone else - that favors an elected Sheriff) why they think that elections are specifically important for the Sheriff? If its useful, please compare the Sheriff and SPPD Chief of Police.
Personally, I can't imagine electing the chief of Police - and don't fully appreciate the justification for electing a Sheriff. Its personally very difficult for me to hold the Sheriff accountable through the ballot box, because I know almost nothing about what he actually does or whether or not he is doing a good job at it.
Anyone.....?
NOTE: I suppose that this argument is similar to the one about electing Judges. Is the public really able and informed enough to hold these officials accountable or select the best person for the job? Is it really appropriate to inject election politics into these important policy positions?
Thanks,
Tim Erickson Hamline Midway [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Tim Erickson http://www.politalk.com St. Paul, MN - USA 651-643-0722
[EMAIL PROTECTED] iChat/AIM: stpaultim
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