John J. Buckley, the Republican incumbent, has been "ineffective and secretive" about his operations, Sullivan said.

Buckley is also an advocate of handgun legislation, which has drawn criticism from Sullivan. A rather conservative Democrat, Sullivan is a law and order candidate who believes citizens should be allowed to bear arms without restriction.

Many Cambridge Democrats who will oppose Sullivan's candidacy say they will do so because of Sullivan's position on law enforcement. They point to the current problems confronting the Cambridge police--brutality cases, discriminatory hiring and promoting practices, and poor community relations--as an outgrowth of policies identified with Sullivan.

Campaign director Maloney said election strategy is unaffected by the rumblings about Cambridge law enforcement: "That's a relatively minor issue compared to the house of corrections and Buckley's ineffectiveness as sheriff."

"Why, we've had a hell of a hard time just finding out what Buckley's been doing all these years," Maloney said. "His activities are supposed to be on public record."

Sullivan said he has wanted to win the sheriff post "for a long, long time." He ran and lost in 1970, because of what he terms "a late start."

"I worked on this campaign right after the day I lost that election," he said. "I've been campaigning every day"

Rick Sia, who authored both articles on this page, is Associate City Editor of The Crimson.