“Nasty” politics led Harford County Sheriff R. Thomas Golding, 56, to bow out of the race for Harford?s highest law enforcement post, leaving three candidates.
Golding?s announcement Thursday came in the wake of allegations of deputies being strong-armed into contributing to Golding?s campaign, first reported by The Examiner.
This leaves Democrats Jesse Bane, 57, of Fallston, and Terry W. Serago, 41, of Belcamp, the only two who have filed, and Forest Hill resident and Republican David E. Tritt Jr., 32, who has announced, to run for the seat.
Bane retired from his position as major in charge of the Harford County Sheriff?s Office Services and Support Bureau last week, and threw his Stetson into the race for sheriff. He was with the agency for 34 years.
“I believe that the sheriff?s office is going to move forward. … You need some sort of plan in place,” Bane said. “The sheriff needs to be proactive and not reactive.”
“The big thing for me is the gangs,” Serago said this week. “I think we need to get a handle on them. We don?t need to suppress them, we need to get rid of them. I think we can do more and I think we need to be aggressive. I grew up in Los Angeles, I know how gangs work. I think our current sheriff is being too retroactive and not proactive.”
Serago, who is retired from the Army, has been a Harford resident since 1993.
With experience in law enforcement through military training, Serago said he also believes Harford?s “deputies need more credit,” and that they are receiving the minimum in terms of pay. “If you take care of your deputies, they?ll take care of you,” he said.
“I think I have the vision to change things,” Serago said, adding, “I?m going to be held accountable.”
Tritt has said the leadership of the sheriff?s office needs to be refocused, and that politics of the position needs to be put outside the office.
An Air Force veteran who now manages an office supply company, Tritt said he feels the agency needs a cadet academy to prevent deputies from being drawn away to other agencies, and he believes more can be done to spot gang activity in Harford.
As to his lack of law enforcement experience, Tritt said, “I feel the agency needs someone from the outside. The people need new ideas and fresh blood that is not tainted.”
