Pubdate: Fri, 11 Oct 2002
Source: Isthmus (WI)
Copyright: 2002 Isthmus
Contact:  http://www.thedailypage.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/215
Author: Melanie Conklin

'NOT A TYPICAL SHERIFF CANDIDATE'

Adam Benedetto is in it to win, but also to change opinions--incuding the 
incumbent's

Gary Hamblin and Adam Benedetto agree: The War on Drugs is a failure. They 
also concur that more minority sheriff deputies are needed and that 
prevention is key in decreasing jail populations.

Yet Hamblin, 56, is the Republican Dane County sheriff. And Benedetto, 27, 
is his Green Party challenger on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Benedetto, a manager at Restaurant Magnus who has a tattoo of Wisconsin on 
his forearm, concedes that for most places, Hamblin would be a good 
sheriff, "but in Dane County we demand progressive leaders." The challenger 
is running an aggressive campaign to end the War on Drugs, promote racial 
justice, protect civil liberties and destroy the county's riot gear.

After listening to Hamblin's liberal answers at a debate last week, 
Benedetto believes the sheriff "has had to rethink a lot of things. I'm 
hoping my voicing of these opinions can help him move left, because it's 
clear that's public opinion."

But Hamblin says his opinions were formed in his 29 years with the state 
Department of Justice, where he headed Drug Enforcement for four years. 
Experience is what he's stressing in this campaign.

"My opponent is not a typical sheriff candidate in that he has absolutely 
no law enforcement or managerial experience," says Hamblin, who became a 
deputy while in college. Given the complexity of criminal investigations 
and jail management, and the legal and personnel issues a sheriff faces, he 
considers such experience imperative.

"I'll be the first to admit the drug war hasn't worked," says Hamblin. "But 
he's talking about disbanding drug enforcement. We need to reduce demand 
for illegal narcotics, but at the same time we have to keep our finger in 
the dike until there's an alternative."

Even though Benedetto is a third-party contender, Hamblin isn't taking his 
candidacy lightly. That's smart. Benedetto has the backing of lieutenant 
governor candidate Barbara Lawton, Rep. Mark Pocan, mayoral candidate Bert 
Zipperer and a handful of locally elected Progressive Dane members. And 
he's working the grassroots - even in wealthy and remote areas - hard.

"I've done 7,000 doors, riding out into the middle of nowhere on my bike. I 
started this race to give me an excuse to talk about what I believe in, and 
now I'm looking at a real chance that I'm going to win." (To read more from 
the candidates, see Document Feed at www.thedailypage.com.)
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D