Saratoga News Wilson, Smith deny rumors that surfaced in sheriff's race By Michelle Alaimo With election campaigns come rumors. And the Santa Clara County sheriff's race certainly had its share. Sheriff candidate Laurie Smith was rumored to have promised an undersheriff position to a number of people, including Westside Substation Capt. Robert Wilson. But Smith and Wilson said the rumor just is not true. Why? Because the position doesn't even exist, both said. Although Smith said during her campaign that she favors an undersheriff position, as opposed to the current assistant sheriff position, she said that she is not in a position to promise it to anyone. Wilson said it would be an "inappropriate discussion." He added, "I have not had a discussion with Laurie Smith regarding an undersheriff position." Wilson concedes he supported Smith for sheriff during her campaign, but Smith said she would never promise someone a position in exchange for support. "I have not made any commitments or representations to anyone concerning the upper-level management structure or personnel for the Sheriff's Office," Smith wrote on a questionnaire from the Deputy Sheriff's Association. Before any restructuring can be done in the department, Smith said, she first has to get elected. Currently, the management team is composed of a sheriff and three assistant sheriffs. If Smith is elected, there would be one empty assistant sheriff position. Joe Charvez, a deputy representative with the Deputy Sheriff's Association, said Smith would then have to work with labor relations to eliminate the two remaining assistant sheriff positions before she could set up an undersheriff spot. Smith said that because the assistant sheriff position is a coded and classified position, a certain procedure must be followed to remove it. She noted that assistant sheriffs and captains have identical contracts, which means the assistant sheriff job cannot be eliminated as if it were an appointed position. But Smith does have an idea of what she would look for in an undersheriff. "Obviously it's important to me to have people in those positions that I have confidence in and trust," Smith said. She added they must also have the department's best interest in mind. Smith said she would seek an under- sheriff who has differing views from her own because it would make the leadership stronger when they work together as a team. [ Back to Contents Page | Saratoga News Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Saratoga News, November 4, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.