CLARA CITY -- In a small town, reaction to news comes quickly and directly.
Clara City Police Chief Ralph Bradley said one elderly lady came up to him after hearing the news and told him: "I like you Ralph. I hope you lose.''
Bradley hopes he wins, but admits that losing wouldn't be the worst either.
After eight years as chief of police in the community, Bradley has set his goal on becoming sheriff of Douglas County. He has announced his candidacy, set up a Web page and put together a committee of supporters for the campaign run.
Bradley said he is not impressed with the current direction of the sheriff's office in Douglas County. He'd like a chance to put his more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement to work on behalf of the county.
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His decision to run came only after friends and family urged him to give it a try, he added.
Bradley ran for sheriff in Douglas County 12 years ago. He said he finished second in a field of seven. He was ahead of the incumbent at the time.
This time around, the incumbent has announced he will not run and the field is wide open, Bradley said.
Although he is police chief in Clara City, Bradley, his wife and their 13 children have been residents of Douglas County for 27 years. The family lives on a dairy farm between Alexandria and Carlos. Bradley often serves as a weekend law officer in Carlos.
He has 19 years of law enforcement experience with the Douglas County community.
He also brings 11 years of experience in law enforcement in California, including service with a narcotics unit there.
Bradley said he's received some good natured kidding in Clara City about his campaign. Staff at the City Hall have threatened to follow him around at parades and retrieve the literature he hands out, he laughed.
But all jokes aside, Bradley said he intends to campaign hard for the office and let the voters of Douglas County know his interest and credentials for the job.
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He said he has "mixed" emotions about the prospect of leaving Clara City, which he considers his home away from home.
He has no doubts about the job he wants: "If I want to work anywhere besides Clara City, it would be Douglas County,'' he said.
