Like many other Lake County citizens, I've had a hard time making up my mind about the sheriff's race this year.

On the one hand, Rod Mitchell's management of his department has sometimes seemed grievously defective, as demonstrated not only by the well-publicized Dinius and Garzoli cases but also by lackadaisical enforcement of the county's ordinance protecting our waterways from catastrophic infestation by invasive quagga/zebra mussels.

On the other hand, challenger Francisco Rivero's leadership abilities trouble me deeply. Although he has charismatic personal qualities and lots of good ideas, his repeated assaults on the officers he would be called upon to lead make his effectiveness as department head seem extremely doubtful; his apparent inability to follow orders and his unwillingness to explicitly repudiate the nasty anonymous bloggers whose fetid verbal assaults have sullied this election also demonstrate extremely questionable characteristics.

Nothing that occurred at the May 5 candidate debate in Middletown lessened my doubts about either of these contenders (quite the contrary), but this occasion did provide my first opportunity to observe a very viable alternative, and to conclude that Jack Baxter's immense experience, solid integrity and evident good sense are exactly what's needed in the sheriff's office.

It's also important to remember that a vote for Baxter carries no risk of “throwing” the election to either Mitchell or Rivero, since neither can win without obtaining more than 50 percent of the vote; merely coming out first will not suffice. This consideration may be important to voters whose are primarily motivated by opposition to one of the other two candidates, as well as to those who share my grave doubts about both.

I urge undecided members of our community to learn more about Jack Baxter by visiting www.baxterforsheriff.com, and then to join me in voting for him on June 8.

Victoria Brandon lives in Lower Lake.