Leadership?

Clark County has had the same sheriff for several years.  His challenger this year, Tim Shotwell, has been a custody officer for the Sheriff’s Department for 8 years.

According to this article in the Columbian, Shotwell has been a custody officer for eight years, and he “said he took tests to become a sergeant or patrol deputy but didn’t pass.”

If someone hasn’t been able to make any career advancement in eight years due to failing advancement tests, I wonder why the voters would want to elect that person to oversee the entire organization?