Sheriff-Coroner Doyle Reflects on New Position, Contentious Election

Getting sworn in as Marin County sheriff was nothing new for Robert Doyle, but it was different this month when he raised his right hand and took an oath as he became sheriff-coroner for the first time.

Doyle, a Novato resident since 1972 and sheriff since 1996, defeated Coroner Kenneth Holmes in the June election following a campaign that was intense and sometimes quite personal. Fueled by cost-cutting measures, the offices of sheriff and coroner were combined following a November 2009 vote by the Marin County Board of Supervisors.

Doyle invited some close friends to the Jan. 3 ceremony at which he took the oath from Superior Court Judge Henry Broderick for the fifth time (he was appointed the first time). Doyle gave out several awards and introduced some new employees as well.

This swearing in was particularly special, Doyle said, because it was the first time he had an opponent in a campaign and because of the new combined responsibilities of the office.

“This one is probably the one that means the most, although they’ve all been special,” he said. “This was gratifying because when you are opposed and you do win, it’s the public that sees to elect you to office. That’s why this one might be the most important because I had to work hard to get elected.”

Doyle and Holmes had major differences of opinion over everything from budget figures to the qualifications for the job to the personnel required to best serve the county’s needs. Both men said the other was not qualified to handle each other’s traditional duties.

“It’s over and I learned a lot,” Doyle said. “It’s interesting what you have to do to reach the voters and convince them you’re the best candidate. People say ‘Nobody reads those mailers’ and then somebody says, ‘Well, I do.’ Somebody says walking (from house to house during a campaign) is not effective, but somebody says ‘I think it makes a difference.’ Looking back on it, the cost of running the election, which was something like $125,000 to $130,000, was a total waste. But the experience was interesting and rewarding.”

The county has hired a medical examiner and retained two of three coroner’s investigators who worked for Holmes; the third moved away from Marin. Doyle estimates the consolidation will save the county about $400,000 per year.

The county became the 48th county in California, which has 58 counties, to have the combined office of sheriff-coroner.

“I think everything is going to be fine,” Doyle said of the coroner responsibilities. “We will be in transition and maybe there will be some bumps in the road, but with two of the existing coroner’s investigators staying with us, we feel good about it.”

Doyle, a Daly City native, joined the Marin County Sheriff’s Offfice in 1969 when Charles Prandi held the top post. Doyle settled in Novato in 1972 when he was new to the county. He and his then-wife had been living in San Francisco and decided they wouldn’t look for a home any further than San Rafael.

“As we looked at houses in Terra Linda, the Realtor said, ‘You could get the same house for $5,000 less in Novato,’ and back then $5,000 was a huge amount,” he said.

Now, Doyle says he wouldn't live anywhere else. 

The sheriff came under scrutiny last week after he said he wouldn't enforce a ban on PG&E's wireless, digital Smart Meters that the Marin County Board of Supervisors voted into effect. Doyle said he had no legal ground upon which to enforce the moratorium. Even after 15 years, the job keeps changing.