When veteran Cambridge politico Walter J. Sullivan became mayor earlier this year, he openly admitted that he had his eyes on another public office--Middlesex County sheriff.

Now Sullivan has intensified his election bid by enlisting City Hall employees to work on the campaign.

A City Hall employee who earns $10,440 annually told The Crimson in an interview last week that he has worked on the Sullivan campaign on city time and while on the city payroll.

The employee, John P. DeVillars, administrative aide to the mayor, said he does some advance work for Sullivan's appearances throughout the county, some organization of youth-oriented campaign activities, and some research on campaign issues "in the off-hours, weekends and during working hours."

"I've been doing all kinds of things for Walter," DeVillars said. "My main tasks have been to do some research and to help handle matters in the mayor's office while Walter is away."

Although Sullivan has not abdicated his mayoral post for the campaign (he still chairs weekly City Council meetings), he has tried since mid-August to spend as little time as possible in City Hall.

Sullivan, who also serves as assistant clerk of courts in Middlesex County, has even avoided the work in the court house. Workers there said recently that Sullivan only drops by occasionally to say hello to friends and to gather election support.

Chief clerk of courts Edward J. Sullivan, the mayor's brother, said Walter Sullivan took a two-week vacation August 19 and then submitted a request for a leave of absence without pay, effective Sept. 2. Edward Sullivan said he had "no problems" granting the leave and added that Walter could "return whenever he's ready."

Walter Sullivan is known widely as one of the city's premier professional politicians, with family ties to Cambridge government that extend long into history.

The 51-year-old mayor served an earlier term as mayor in the years 1968 through 1969 and has sat in the City Council chambers since 1959. In recent years, Sullivan has been Cambridge's largest vote-getter.

Sullivan still believes in "old school" politics that stress patronage and friendship and family ties with various segments of the community.

One of his favorite tactics in this campaign and in previous ones has been to attend a number of wakes and funeral services in the area.

He also makes an effort to join as many community and social groups as possible; he is already a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Elks Club, the Portuguese-American Civic League, the Sons of Italy and the Malden Eagles. He also subscribes to a couple of Jewish news magazines.

At City Council meetings, Sullivan never hesitates to call out loud to friends in the audience. He often interrupts his colleagues on the council to ask friends about their health, always managing to draw attention to the fact that he knows virtually everybody in the city.

Sullivan knows that his identification in Cambridge is his strongest asset. Now as mayor he is doing his best to mobilize his City Hall resources and various community ties to campaign outside Cambridge in the larger Middlesex County, which encompasses 59 cities and towns.