Ted DiNoto not only officially declares his candidacy for Erie County sheriff on Thursday, he also injects an entirely new dimension into the contest by running on an independent line. A 30-year Amherst Police Department veteran and detective lieutenant commanding the Narcotics Squad, DiNoto told The Buffalo News on Wednesday that he will no longer pursue the GOP nomination to succeed retiring Republican Timothy B. Howard.

Instead, he will launch his campaign on the "Public Service Over Politics" line in a contest assuming more and more unconventional overtones. "My job is to survey the lay of the land and I can see that certain things have already been decided," he said. "I believe 100% that the Sheriff's Department, along with being the warden of corrections, is a law enforcement agency. To do it properly, there can't be politics."