It’s almost time to turn the page from Corpus

As Corpus noted in her now-customary frenzy of defiance and delusion, there were 18 allegations made against her by the county; Emerson did not sustain the other 15. Corpus said this proves she did nothing wrong and should keep her job. Sheesh.

The three allegations upheld by Emerson encapsulate the entire mess. She went to extraordinary, improper and illegal lengths to carve out a powerful, high-paying job for her close, personal and unqualified friend, Victor Aenlle. She abused her authority in ordering the arrest of Carlos Tapia, the head of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association, on trumped-up charges. She retaliated against a member of her command staff when he refused to file what he regarded as an unfounded internal affairs case.

Her relationship with the good doctor has been at the heart of this matter and it could be studied as a textbook example of misplaced loyalty (affection?), hubris, bad judgment and self-destructive behavior.

Yes, it has been arduous, expensive and time-consuming to remove her. But it should be hard to kick an elected official out of office prematurely.

Very quickly, the board will want to name a replacement for Corpus. Undersheriff Dan Perea immediately assumes the job, but almost nobody wants that, or him. He is seen as little more than Corpus’ yes-man.

The issue here is one of appoint or anoint.

The assumption is the board will want to pick a true interim appointee — someone who will commit to leaving the job, not run for it. Picking someone who would run for the job would anoint a successor and fuels Corpus’ ongoing accusation this has been a power play by the board.

Hand in hand with that decision would be setting a special election to coincide with next June’s primary election. There will be more than two years left in the current term of office, so there is a certain logic to letting the voters decide who has the job, and the political advantage of incumbency when seeking reelection in 2028.

Against that backdrop, according to a number of insiders and close observers, there are two people who might be interested in the job on a strictly interim basis for the nine months between now and June: former San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer and former Undersheriff Chris Hsiung. Manheimer is well known and has served in interim chief roles, most notably in San Bruno and Oakland. Hsiung may be the only figure to emerge from the Corpus controversy with his reputation intact. Hsiung, former chief of police in Mountain View with a national reputation for progressive policing, left the office when he saw things taking a bad turn.

One key element would be the potential response of the office’s deputies, sergeants and command staff, who have been energized politically by this affair. It would be safe to assume they want someone who is going to tone down the chaos and bring calm and order to the office. It would help if it was someone who understands the office, and would have a clear sense of how to undo some of the damage that has been done. That would seem to tilt toward Hsiung.

The list of who might seek the seat on a more permanent basis could include Hsiung or Manheimer, should one or the other not get the interim appointment.

Other names in circulation as potential appointees and candidates include:

• San Mateo Police Chief Ed Barberini, a veteran of two decades in the Sheriff’s Office;

• Hillsborough City Manager Doug Davis, who rose through the ranks to become chief of the city’s police department;

• Ryan Monaghan, former 27-year veteran of the San Mateo Police Department and former chief of the Tiburon Police Department, currently heading a countywide initiative to end human sex trafficking, but, famously, a former assistant sheriff who was fired by Corpus for cooperating with an independent investigation into the office;

• Sheriff’s Lt. Jonathan Sebring, former head of the office’s Professional Standards Bureau, who testified that Corpus retaliated against him when he investigated Aenlle’s background;

• Sheriff’s Sgt. David Widener, one-time manager of the office’s shooting range, who is said to be building a grassroots effort.

The fight to oust Corpus may be just about over. The effort to replace her is about to begin.