Sheriff On Way Out?

There is talk that newly-elected Republican County Judge John Whit-tington’s first housecleaning project will be to force the resignation of Sheriff Clarence Jones.

Word has it the court of inquiry into alleged bail bond hanky panky in the sheriffs office is about to get fueled up again, and if Whittington applies the right pressure to the right people, the reactivated hearings will focus solely on Jones’ role in the scandal. That, in turn, could force the resignation of Jones, which raises the possibility of Whittington having an early opportunity to cut into the patronage stranglehold the Democrats still have on the courthouse.

At the top of the list of Whittington “possibles” reportedly is none other than former Dallas Police Chief Frank Dyson, who is said to be willing, if drafted. Dyson apparently is not burning up the track in real estate, and he has been known to confide that he misses law enforcement.

It could be a helluva coup if Whittington could pull it off. Dyson is still highly popular with the public at large, and if Whittington were able to oust Jones and bring in Dyson in one fell swoop, he would be on his way to letting the people know he means business at the courthouse.

A major stumbling block at this point is the ever present 3-2 majority the Democrats still have on the commissioner’s court. A mid-term appointment would have to be approved by the entire court. There is no reason to suspect that Democrats Orr, Tyson and Pickett would be inclined to support a Whittington nominee, even if he were a man of the stature and reputation of Frank Dyson. Indeed, there is talk that the Demos on the court are not adverse to shoving out Jones, but that they have their own nominee in mind: Former Dallas Police Association President Preston Parks.