Richard I. Mack (R)
Richard I. Mack's calm demeanor belies the controversy that surrounds the former Graham County, Ariz., sheriff who is most well-known for suing the federal government.
Mack, 45, and another small-town sheriff took their opposition to the Brady gun law all the way to the Supreme Court several years ago. While that successful battle brought Mack invitations to appear on television news programs and made him a favorite of gun-rights advocates, it also made clear Mack's outright hostility toward the federal government.
Although he champions the U.S. Constitution, Mack loathes the government bureaucracy it has spawned. He admits that he pays his own federal income taxes only so that he won't be taken to jail.
Mack's outspokenness on such issues has seemingly attracted the support of many Utah County residents in his election battle against Sheriff David R. Bateman.
Not all of Mack's supporters tote guns and sport anti-President Clinton bumper stickers, but his attraction as a candidate stems primarily from charisma and rhetoric about constitutional rights. Mack has said very little about his plans for the day-to-day operations of the Sheriff's Office.
But Mack, a Brigham Young University graduate and former Provo cop, insists that Bateman's approach is stale and outdated. With the crime rate rising, Utah County needs someone with a new perspective, he says.
David R. Bateman (R)
Utah County Sheriff David R. Bateman has spent most of his time the past 13 years trying to protect residents from siege by criminals. Now, Bateman fears the Sheriff's Office itself is under siege - by an extremist candidate and his fervent supporters.
Bateman, 57, is running for his job for the fourth time, but it's the first time he's faced a challenge of this magnitude. His opponent, Richard Mack, has attracted many Utah County residents with his ultraconservative agenda.
Bateman, a lifelong resident of Alpine and career Utah County deputy sheriff, based his campaign on his record as sheriff. But few have seemed interested in hearing about Bateman's successes.
Bateman would like to serve one more term before retiring, and he'd also like to follow through on a couple of projects he started.
Among his innovations are the crime prevention merit badge for Boy Scouts of America and a Teens Against Graffiti program that uses youth offenders themselves to remove all graffiti within 24 hours.
Recently, Bateman has become outspoken in his criticism of Mack, whom he believes represents a threat to the relatively good cooperation that exists among deputy sheriffs and police from Utah County cities. Although negative campaigning is against Bateman's congenial nature, he believes it's warranted because of the ineffective crime-fighting he foresees if Mack is elected.