January 19, 2000

Will Brady get the ax if sheriff wins case?

When a person wants a particular job, it's no surprise when he or she acknowledges being the right person for that job.

But what if the job seeker's boss now holds that job? And what if the job is an elective position?

That's the case with Capt. Dennis Brady and the selection process for Seneca County sheriff this year.

Brady, as administrator of the Seneca County Jail, normally works for Sheriff H. Weldin Neff. However, Brady, as a potential witness in a criminal trial of Neff, has been on administrative leave from the jail position and has been working for the common pleas judges.

Brady, meantime, has become the Democratic candidate for sheriff. Neff, a Republican, has been ruled out as one of that party's candidates because his petitions were filed late. Tiffin Police Chief Tom Steyer is the only Republican on the ballot.

Neff, if he decides to run as an independent, would have until March 6 to file ... unless he's found guilty in the meantime.

A verdict in his trial on charges of intimidation and theft in office is expected during the last part of February or early March.

A guilty verdict could mean Neff's departure, which would place Brady's future as jail administrator in the hands of an appointed sheriff.

A not-guilty verdict would raise this question: Would Neff keep an employee who is seeking to replace him? The jail administrator serves at the will of the sheriff. Brady could be fired.

With the possibility of a three-way race for sheriff in November, Neff would be faced with deciding which would be the greater liability: firing Brady for what would be seen as a strictly political move, or keeping a political foe on the payroll.

The first sheriff's race in the 2000s certainly promises to be an interesting one.