Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford won his 2007 re-election bid with a convincing 60 percent of the vote.

But neither Rutherford nor Mayor John Peyton, who also was running for a second term, drew serious challenges. The election didn't draw serious interest, either. Turnout was about 19 percent.

This year, behind the brutal general election that ginned up many voters, Rutherford has already drawn one recognizable opponent. And with Peyton term-limited and the mayor's race open, turnout for the spring election is expected to double.

Former Sheriff's Office spokesman Ken Jefferson announced his retirement from the department Oct. 29 to run against Rutherford. For five years, Jefferson was the face of the agency at crime scenes and other interviews.

He said he won't discuss strategy or why he believes Rutherford is vulnerable.

The 51-year-old Democrat would only say that "I've talked to many citizens who are not content with the way the city is run now."

Rutherford, a 58-year-old Republican, said the race will be a test of experience and vision. He said he has had success cutting the budget as well as crime, pointing to total crime numbers that are the lowest since 1984.

"It's also about what we want to do in the future," he said.

Police union President Nelson Cuba, who has not endorsed Rutherford or anyone else yet, noted that crime is down everywhere, so that might not impress voters. But Cuba said Rutherford has kept the department equipped with top-notch gear, supported pay raises and opposed pay cuts.

Rutherford also is running for a third four-year term - which, unlike term-limited positions such as mayor and City Council members, is allowed for constitutional officers such as sheriff.

"You may have people who believe that term limits should apply to everybody," Cuba said.

Cuba said he is considering holding a debate for sheriff's candidates to help union members decide whether leadership of the department should continue on the current path or change direction. It is not a forum the union has used before, although its support has traditionally had a significant impact on elections in the city.

Some union members disagreed with how Rutherford handled the aftermath of a shooting at a Baymeadows Road fast-food restaurant that wounded a 2-year-old child and his mother after officers fired 42 rounds to stop a carjacking, Cuba said. Two officers resigned rather than be fired.

Michael Hallett, chairman of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the University of North Florida, said he sees factors that could both help and harm Rutherford.

Rutherford's hard line on discipline has rankled some in the department as has his "very public advocacy for [Gov.-elect] Rick Scott and his anti-union/pension reform sentiments," Hallett wrote in an e-mail to the Times-Union.

Outside the department, Peyton's very public feud with public safety unions and his warning that candidates become too beholden to unions that support them could also affect the race when reform efforts are undertaken, Hallett said.

He said the sheriff and mayor are "de facto co-executives" in city politics, making one race as important as the other.

"Jefferson's problem is that while the rank-and-file may be upset with John Rutherford, the public at large will continue to see eye-to-eye with Rutherford on the big issues like pension reform and officer discipline," Hallett said.

A large turnout also would favor Rutherford, he said.

A third candidate, former police officer Soren Brockdorf, 43, has filed for the race with no party affiliation. Reginald Davis, a Democrat who ran against Rutherford in 2007, has picked up papers to run again.

Brockdorf was a patrol officer with the department for less than two years and left the agency in January 2009.

A certified public accountant, Brockdorf said he would focus on running the department with greater efficiency to cut costs and be more effective.

Once a candidate for the FBI as an accountant, the long-time Jacksonville resident said he joined the Sheriff's Office with the intent to run for sheriff. He said he partly wanted to learn how to improve its operation and compiled a list of potential changes.

Included are creating a paperless work environment, privatizing or charging a fee for responding to alarm calls, and using bloodhounds on lost child calls and arrest vans to transport prisoners.

Brockdorf also promised he would resign if the department's efficiency is not increased by 20 percent within a year.

Qualifying for the city election ends Jan. 14. The election is March 22. If no candidate gets a majority of the votes, a runoff will be May 17.

dana.treen@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4091

link: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-11-12/story/voter-fervor-un...