Sheriff vs. Sheriff AND Isn't there supposed to be a PD or two in here someplace?

In a December 28 post, Doug Grow of MinnPost writes of the forthcoming battle between our own Lord High Sheriff, Sir Robert, and Hennipen County’s, Rich “I never used that word” Stanek, over who gets the most camera and ink during the upcoming Republican assault on our city.

Grow has an interesting way of throwing phrases around which I assume should be expected from his many years of writing for the Mpls. paper. His notes on how the two are set up for the race include these paragraphs:

Both men have similar backgrounds. Stanek is a former state legislator and former Minneapolis cop. Fletcher is a former St. Paul City Council member and St. Paul cop. Both are said to have dark sides. Neither is saddled with any troublesome humility.

Both men have built-in strengths for the race. Stanek, who has designed a dress uniform fit for a Latin dictator, heads an office nearly twice as large as Fletcher, 800 employees to 400. But Fletcher has the home-field advantage, given that the convention — Minneapolis views to the contrary — is a St. Paul event.

But the next paragraph is more telling of ongoing problems which indicate possible problems which likely will go beyond 2008.

Drop the name Fletcher around St. Paul police officials, or drop the name Stanek around Minneapolis police officials, and eyes roll -- and sometimes neck veins pop.

I don’t know if eliminating the office of Sheriff as an elected position would lessen this problem. After all, bureaucrats have egos too. But this may indeed be interesting stuff to observe next year.