SOUNDING OFF:

In his column (“Martin has advantage of sheriff,” May 24) Jim Righeimer presents his views on the selection process for the position of O.C. sheriff-coroner.

Riggy sorted the final candidates, distilling them down to a Final Four — apparently an homage to the recently completed college basketball season. Primary in his reasoning for his selection is that the person chosen by the supervisors to replace the disgraced and indicted Mike Carona must be able to be elected in 2010.

In a contest between Santa Ana Police Chief Paul Walters and Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Commander Ralph Martin, Righeimer’s nod goes to Martin because he has been a lifelong Republican, and Walters has recently shown some ambivalence about his party affiliation.

As Riggy says, “This is an elected position, and politics matters. The supervisors do not want to have a sheriff with political trouble in two years.”

I’m trying to decide whether I’m angry at the system that creates this dilemma or at Righeimer for demonstrating why it’s a problem, or both. I don’t necessarily think it’s bad that Walters, for example, has shown displeasure with his affiliation with the Republican Party. Who could blame him — except those in charge of the party itself.

The position of county sheriff-coroner is an elected position, so the holder of that office will not be under the thumb of the Board of Supervisors — he will be beholden only to the voters of this county. I’m comfortable with that arrangement.

In this situation, however, Riggy would have the supervisors select a person who passes muster with the hacks who currently control the Orange County Republican Party. He conveniently neglects to mention that Carona was one of “their guys,” too.

The Board of Supervisors has a unique opportunity before them next week — one that transcends “politics as usual.” From the remaining candidates, they may be able to select a person with impeccable credentials in law enforcement leadership — the kind needed to rebuild the morale and reputation of our Sheriff’s Department.

And, they can do this without worrying about an election more than two years away.

The new sheriff will have more than 24 months to demonstrate that he’s the right person for the job. Just as interim sheriff Jack Anderson has done in his few months holding that “temporary” job, the new sheriff can jump in immediately and begin making the reforms so necessary to “fix” the department. This job requires a top cop, not a politically-connected guy who will first ingratiate himself with the movers and shakers in this county.

Based on what we see in their background information, most of the remaining candidates could probably do the job. Deciding on the best one is up to the supervisors.

As an incumbent with a high-profile record of tackling this difficult job, his performance in the next two years will be much more important to the electorate than whose boots he’s willing to lick to get elected in 2010.

Regardless what Riggy and his pals in the Orange County Republican Party think, the supervisors should do the job we elected them to do and give us the best law enforcement leader available for the job of sheriff-coroner of Orange County.

If they do that, and the man selected demonstrates his skills, the 2010 election will take care of itself.

Geoff West lives in Costa Mesa.