In its endorsement of BJ Barnes for Guilford County sheriff, the N&R writes:

Challenger Berkley Blanks’ primary criticism of Sheriff BJ Barnes is that he’s too deeply involved in partisan politics. But that goes with the territory. Republican Barnes is no more politically motivated than his Democratic predecessors. It is, after all, a political job answerable to voters.

If only more positions of responsibility in local government were political jobs answerable to voters. A few off the top of my head: superintendent of schools, city manager, police chief and county manager.

Why not?