Election dilema

Sheriff Keith Ferguson is looking for at least one more go of it in 2010, running for re-election to the position he's held since 2002. Any concerns anyone may have on that news are their own, as my issue has nothing to do with Ferguson or his performance as sheriff.
The announcement, however, creates questions for the newspaper about campaign coverage. On the surface, there is the logistical decision over which newspaper should spearhead the countywide election. Since the Morning News was entrusted (and I use that word with dripping irony) with editorial coverage and has kept the larger newsroom, it stands to reason the primary reporter would come from the Rogers newsroom.
And that brings us to our second issue. There were some questions about whether Rogers police officer and sheriff candidate Kelley Cradduck received a fair shake from the Morning News in 2008. Editorial decisions about story placement, coverage style and even story content was examined and debated by those on both sides of the newsroom walls. The biggest issue, however, is that Morning News metro editor Leeanna Walker was sitting awfully close to Ferguson at his last victory dinner, much closer than an impartial observer should have been.
So where are the battle lines in this year's coverage? Does Leeanna still hold the editorial sway she once did, or does Editor Rusty Turner, now that he has to answer to someone a little closer to home, have to maintain at least some pretense of objectivity. I'll have the play-by-play, because we all win or lose based on the outcome.