El Dorado County sheriff race heats up

Despite assurances that the filing deadline would be extended until today, five out of six candidates for county sheriff turned in their homework early, making for a competitive, crowded field."This is kind of unprecedented, to see this many people running," said Ernie Hillman, a former undersheriff who retired from a three-decade career in the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department in 2002. Hillman filed his candidacy papers Friday afternoon, along with another retired department veteran, Larry Hennick.According to an elections official, Friday would have been the last day for candidates to file if the incumbent decided to run. With former Sheriff Jeff Neves resigning his post in December, promotedUndersheriff Fred Kollar became the de facto incumbent. But Kollar assured county supervisors he had no intention of running, and instead accepted the sheriff's position to steer the department through a transition period of budget troubles and contract disputes.Friday was the close of the filing period for most of the offices for the June election, explained county elections official Joseph Zitzelberger via e-mail. With three incumbents not opting to run, the filing deadlines for the offices of assessor, surveyor and sheriff were extended until today.As of late Friday afternoon, Hillman and Hennick had been joined by John D'Agostini, an investigator with the Amador County DistrictAttorney's Office and Mt. Aukum resident; Bob Luca, a former California Bureau of Investigations chief and El Dorado Hills resident; and Placerville police Chief George Nielsen, who submitted his papers Thursday."We're all filed and excited," 47-year-old Nielsen told The Telegraph. "We're anxious and excited to get our message out there."That message consists of being tough on crime and heavily involved in the community, he said.Hennick has his own message and experience from which to draw, including previous runs for sheriff in 1996 and 2001. Both times he came in second to Neves."I'm not new to the game. I've basically been campaigning for sheriff for 14 years," said Hennick, 56, who retired after 32 years with the sheriff's department in 2006. "So I think I've got a lot of history that I think I can draw upon. Men and women of the department have seen my work."With five candidates and the possibility of another, both Hennick and Hillman think the chances of a runoff are pretty good."It's really difficult to separate yourself" in a crowded field from the other candidates, Hillman acknowledged. "I'm certainly not here to impugn any of their characters."Hillman does say he believes he has the most experience within the very department he is seeking to lead, noting he has held a managerial position in every division.Sheriff's Capt. Craig Therkildsen, whom Neves recommended as his immediate successor, had not filed papers as of last week but could still file today.Retired California Highway Patrol Chief Stan Perez, 52, dropped out of the race last month, citing financial and personal reasons. Questions about Perez's higher education claims were also raised around the time of his announcement.D'Agostini and Luca could not be reached for comment.