February 04, 2007
Bradford for Sheriff?

Isiah Carey reports about the likelihood of former HPD Chief C.O. Bradford running for Harris County Sheriff next year.


It was last year when this rumor first surfaced and now I'm hearing from a credible source that former Houston Police Department chief Clarence Bradford is seriously considering a run for Sheriff. This source was bold enough to say "he is running." I have not been able to get Bradford to confirm this. I recently saw him at the Black Heritage Gala with a cowboy hat on and he surely looked like the sheriff then. However, he only stopped briefly to say hello and said he enjoyed reading The Insite.

I've been hearing these rumors for awhile now, too, and I've seen Bradford at several political functions lately, something which had not been the case not too long ago. I have some mixed emotions about this. On the one hand, I believe he'd be able to raise the kind of funds needed to make a serious challenge; if the Democratic candidates for offices like District Attorney, Tax Assessor, and potentially Harris County Judge can do the same, that'll be all to the good for the entire ticket. I get the impression from talking to people that Bradford would run a strong race, and that he'd do well against the incumbent, Tommy Thomas. On the other hand, Bradford has some big negatives, namely the HPD Crime Lab and the botched K-Mart raid, to which he'll be tied during a campaign. Given that the case against Tommy Thomas is basically that he's incompetent, it'd be nice to have a less baggage-laden candidate to press that issue against him.

On the third hand, assuming Bradford is interested in this race, I haven't heard his pitch yet. I don't know how good a speaker he is, how he plans to address the issues that will surely be raised about him, and how he plans to argue against Thomas. In other words, I don't know how good a candidate he might be yet. He has a record in public service - and again, all I know off the top of my head is part of that record; I don't know his presentation of it - but not a record as a candidate for me to judge. I'll wait and see on this one. Who knows, maybe the accompanying rumors of Adrian Garcia possibly being interested as well will turn out to be more than wishcasting. I won't mind having a few high-profile primaries to help me make up my mind in these races.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on February 04, 2007 to Election 2008
Comments

Kuff,

Brad Bradford unofficially announced at the HCDP CEC meeting, so he's running in 08.

He's a good speaker and he'll be attractive to many. Since he's practically announced early, I doubt he'd be talked out of it or even pick up a challenger for the Primary. If Garcia was interested, it may be too late unless he wants to really heat up the Dem primary--which I hope does not happen.

Just FYI...later dude!

Posted by: Stace Medellin on February 5, 2007 12:24 AM

It seems that HPD chiefs always seem to have a little something not to be bragged on. (A link to the troubles you mention -- if you have mentioned them in the past here -- would be handy, Kuff.

I'll work hard for Sheriff Bradford, and expect that he'll do much better than the current occupant.

Posted by: PDiddie on February 5, 2007 7:16 AM

I don't buy this wishy-washy act.

I'll lay heavy odds that if Bradford is the nominee, you'll be supporting him Charles!

He'll have that all-important letter by his name, after all. :)

Posted by: kevin whited on February 5, 2007 9:26 PM

As I'm sure you'll be supporting Tommy Thomas, and for the same reason, Kevin. But that's independent of whether or not he'd be my preferred choice in a contested primary, which is what this post was about.

PDiddie, the thing I mentioned are fairly well known. See my own archives for the K-Mart stuff, and here for the crime lab stuff.

Posted by: Charles Kuffner on February 5, 2007 9:33 PM