Longtime undersheriff to run for Oklahoma County sheriff
A third Republican is planning to be a candidate for Oklahoma County sheriff in a special election this year.
“I’m going to run for sheriff. May have lost my mind,” P.D. Taylor said Friday with a laugh.
Taylor, 70, is currently Oklahoma County undersheriff, the No. 2 spot in the office. He said he is ready to make changes.
“The sheriff’s office has become a big part of me,” he said. “They have issues, yes. They need changes, yes. Their employees work for nothing, yes. There’s a lot to be done. It’s time.”
Sheriff John Whetsel announced Wednesday he will retire March 1 after 20 years in the position.
Whetsel has been under investigation for months because of allegations of financial mismanagement. Whetsel said in October he always sought to comply with the law.
Taylor joined the sheriff’s office 20 years ago after working for the Oklahoma City Police Department for 26 years. He has been undersheriff since 2003 and lives in Oklahoma City. He said he was not involved in the decisions that led to the allegations. “That’s just not the way the office operated,” he said.
Also planning to run are Mike Christian, 47, of Oklahoma City, and Darrell Sorrels, 63, of Midwest City.
Christian, a former state representative and retired state trooper, lost to Whetsel in November in a close race. Sorrels, a former sheriff’s supervisor, lost to Whetsel in 2012.
The jail will be a central campaign issue. Both Christian and Sorrels have said a new jail should be built.
Taylor agreed a new jail is needed.
He said, though, if that is not going to happen, then the county must start making improvements on a piecemeal basis, such as building a medical ward adjacent to the jail.
“The enormous cost of a new jail, it kind of shocks people and people run from that,” Taylor said. “If you can’t get there, then start ... doing what you can do to make things better.”