In an election year, the decision is usually between the devil you know and the one you don’t. But for this sheriff’s race the choice isn’t that hard.

My wife and I became interested in this race first because of the local law enforcement’s reputation. Later, primarily because of the nationally reported power versus sailboat incident, but there also appeared to be a long list of public fund misuse, firings and lawsuits. All roads seemed to lead to the Sheriff and leadership or lack thereof. Not so much to his deputies.

Once the election campaign really began, a clearer pattern emerged. Most importantly was the incumbent’s campaign tactics reminiscent of a Chicago political boss, to wit: demonize the opponent, ridicule his record, deflect from your own, deny any knowledge of wrongdoing, pander to the troops but remove those that disagree and cultivate favoritism. I may have missed some, perhaps the always present promise to change and do better, or a focus on image rather than accomplishments. But my bet is that we will see more negative charges from a desperate low-achiever before it’s over. The interesting thing about all this is two points.

The first is that many of the players affected are cops themselves. The boat occupant that died, the cop who caused the accident and was regarded enough to become a captain, and the investigating deputy, all are now gone. So too a fund-misusing helicopter trainee, a corrections officer and the list goes on. Replace these with wrongful lawsuits against the County. Add to this the disrespect shown toward the political challenger, also an officer, in debates attended by law enforcement staff and one wonders what examples and standards are being given. The person still in place is the politician himself with fingers pointed outward. I’ll bet even the cops are wondering whether this is a question of keep experience or change a pattern.

Secondly, look through the smoke about the challenger. He was tough and smart enough to escape a bad teenage environment, earn several hard to acquire credentials and achieve commendations as a San Francisco street cop for helping to rid the streets of gang and drug dealing. He went on as a successful businessman and even challenged an unfair business environment. It just doesn’t sound like a person that should be demonized. You might not agree with his proposals such as community review, input and involvement for better service, or even like his personality, but I wouldn’t show disrespect.

In my view, the only thing to gain by electing the incumbent is to reward bad behavior. The gain for electing his opponent is a tougher-than-nails reformer, a willing-to-listen learner and a welcome break in the old pattern. For me, the choice between these devils is the easiest I’ve ever made.

Jim Steele live in Clearlake Oaks, Calif.