Quick: What do the phrases "Ironclad Trifecta," "Nostalgic Paralysis," and "Domestic Terrorists" have in common? Any journalist who's spent any amount of time covering Merced will tell you they're the unique utterances of Merced County Sheriff Mark Pazin.
The sheriff is known for his purple prose in newsrooms throughout the Central Valley.
You can imagine our disappointment when we heard he's not taking his act on the road to Washington.
Our sister paper, the Fresno Bee, reported that Pazin was approached by several prominent Republicans last fall, who encouraged him to make a run in the newly created 16th Congressional District.
He flirted with the idea but decided against it, citing other obligations closer to home. He didn't rule out a future political career, but said he owed it to Merced County residents to serve out his term, which expires in 2014.
So there's a chance our colleagues at Roll Call will one day enjoy Pazin's melodramatic musings, but for now he'll continue to keep watch over Merced's criminal element -- or as he likes to call them, "jackals," "vermin" and "knuckleheads."
