NORTHAMPTON — In his own words, David Isakson sees himself as the “underdog” of the Hampshire County sheriff’s race against Patrick Cahillane.
Put the two candidates’ resumes side-by-side and that notion is hardly debatable.
Cahillane, the Democratic nominee, is assistant superintendent and special sheriff at Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction and has held virtually every position there over his three-decade tenure.
While Isakson, the Republican nominee, also boasts law enforcement experience, he’s never been an employee of the sheriff’s department — the very institution he’s been working for five months to convince voters he has the skill set to oversee.
The two are vying to fill the role Sheriff Robert Garvey has occupied since 1984. Garvey announced in February he would not seek re-election and would retire at the end of his term.
Cahillane, 58, of Leeds, has said throughout his campaign that he hopes to bear Garvey’s torch, and carry on the storied sheriff’s progressive approach in managing the jail and spearheading new educational and vocational programs for inmates.
He’s also said he would promote an atmosphere for the jail’s staff that encourages open-mindedness and learning new skills, an approach he also hopes appeals to young, prospective staffers.
Isakson has maintained that his lack of recognition in the jail is hardly a setback — in fact, the 44-year-old from Hadley said, he believes it’s one of his key advantages.
“I have that fire to be the next sheriff, the desire,” Isakson said. “And I have the ability … just because I haven’t worked at the jail for 39 years doesn’t mean I’m not capable.”
Isakson’s war chest is about $17,345 deep as of Nov. 2, with nearly 90 percent of that money coming from the candidate himself, according to the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance.
Meanwhile, Cahillane’s war chest, as of Nov. 2, is worth about $48,424, with Cahillane having self-funded roughly 31 percent.
Last month, the committee working to elect Cahillane was ordered to return more than $10,000 in campaign contributions because the donations came from his department’s employees.
Isakson has roughly 14 years experience in law enforcement, and now works part time as an officer for Hadley, where he’s been since 2008.
Isakson is also president of the Hadley Police Association and is department secretary/liaison to the Massachusetts Police Association.
The Republican nominee also runs two Ebenezer’s Bar and Grill locations, in South Hadley and Westfield.
“It’s very difficult, because I’m obviously, by far, the underdog,” Isakson said in a recent interview. “I’m the little guy going against the establishment, going against the political machine.”
Isakson didn’t even officially register as a Republican, he said, until right before he announced his candidacy.
“I’m more of a middle-of-the-road individual,” Isakson said. “I like to choose the best candidates for the positions and vote that way … that’s why I’ve been unenrolled.”
But Isakson isn’t worried about how voters may or may not perceive his political ideology.
“Most people don’t care if you’re a Democrat or Republican. They’re more interested in what you’re going to do for the sheriff’s department — how you’re going to affect change (and) what you’re ideas are,” Isakson said.
His first priority as sheriff, he said, would be to implement a 90-day audit of the jail in order to become more intimately familiar with its inner workings.
This would serve as his starting point, he added, so that could properly assess facilities and programs.
“Being a police officer working in Hadley, I came across many individuals who I arrested … came from outside of the county,” Isakson said. “The response was that the jail was more relaxed in Hampshire County.”
That supposed reputation is one aspect of the jail that Isakson said he wants to tackle if he were elected sheriff.
One specific program Isakson said he would like to see implemented at the jail is a professional skills course.
“Some of the programs I’d like to advance are some of the lifeskill-building programs inside the jail,” he said. “Being an entrepreneur, I have a lot of business experience. I’ve interviewed a lot of people, I’ve hired a lot of people, I’ve let people go.”
Isakson also said that he would like to see additional programming at the jail that to combat opiate abuse. He added that he would also like to see a community-outreach program in which sheriff’s deputies voluntarily check on elderly or immobile residents, as well as a classroom program for young students in which deputies would talk about drug- and alcohol-abuse prevention.
“Great things can come from men who don’t have corrections experience to be sheriff,” the candidate said.
The general election is Nov. 8.
Michael Majchrowicz can be reached at mmajchrowicz@gazettenet.com.