Cafe Owner To Seek GOP Sheriff Nomination

A contest for the Republican nomination for sheriff in the August primary election was assured today when an Ann Arbor restaurant owner announced his intentions to run. Clark "Red" Shelton of 1033 Woodbridge, operator of Red's Rite Spot, a restaurant at 334 Maynard, will seek the Republican spot on the ballot in his first bid for a political office. A Kentucky native who has lived in Ann Arbor since 1934, Sheldon said in his announcement statement that he feels the office of sheriff should be a "purely administrative one." "There are many qualified men within the present Sheriff's Department who have dedicated their lives to their positions," Shelton said. "These people are the right hand of the sheriff and have the experience and know-how to cary out their duties. As qualified people their thoughts and views can serve as a guideline for the administration." Shelton, who is 50 years old and a World War II veteran, said it is his belief that the public on the whole has lost respect for law enforcement in general. "This respect can and should be regained. If I am nominated and elected I intend to work toward the regaining of this respect," the restaurateur said. Shelton came to Ann Arbor 34 years ago from his native Greenville, Ky., with the intention of entering the University. "But with only $14.37 in my pocket I had to get a job right away," he notes. He took a job in a combination restaurant-candy store where he worked for a year before moving to a restaurant which later was to become the original "Red's Rite Spot at 517 E. William. When the United States entered World War II Shelton enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, with which he served as a first sergeant in a gunnery school for five years. After discharge he returned to Ann Arbor and purchased the E. William St. restaurant, giving it the Red's Rite Spot name. Because of its location near the University campus it became a common meeting place for students and faculty, and the restaurant has been the subject of articles in both national and local publications. When the restaurant building was razed for a new high-rise structure at 1966, Shelton moved his business to a new building around the corner at 334 Maynard where his present restaurant is located. Shelton employs 27 persons in the restaurant. He is married to the former Jean Stroebel and they have a son, Bill, and a daughter, Pat. Shelton's candidacy puts him in a race with Stanley J. Dulgeroff, a University employe who announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for sheriff a month ago. No one has announced a bid for the Democratic nomination for sheriff yet and the incumbent, Douglas J. Harvey, has not made a public decision on whether or not he plans to seek a second four-year term in office. Harvey, elected in 1964, is the first Democrat to hold the sheriff 's position in Washtenaw County in 40 years.