Let’s look at recent history of Warren County sheriff

All boards should be paying attention to the rules for going into executive session

By Ken Tingley

Here’s what I know about Warren County Sheriff Jim LaFarr.

In July 2020, he tried to hire his son in the Warren County Sheriff’s Office in violation of the county nepotism policy.

The county policy was clear.

It read: “no Warren County officer or employee may supervise a relative in the performance of the relative’s official powers or duties.”

It was a good policy.

In response, I wrote an editorial in The Post-Star that LaFarr was violating the nepotism policy and the hiring should be negated. LaFarr relented and rescinded the offer to his son.

One year later, Warren County changed its nepotism policy to read:

“A department head may undertake to appoint, hire, promote, discipline or discharge a relative if no other county officer or employee can undertake the action, and the action is undertaken in accordance with Civil Service Law and Rules promulgated thereunder for competitive positions.”

It gutted the nepotism policy. I suspect LaFarr was doing some lobbying behind the scenes to allow his son to gain employment.

He hired his son soon afterward.

Two years later, LaFarr decided it was time to take care of himself. After union members in the Sheriff’s Offie received modest 2.5 percent raises, LaFarr asked for raises for the undersheriff, corrections captain and systems maintenance coordinator. He also asked for a raise for himself from 120,498 to 139,373.

That’s a raise somewhat north of 15 percent and a big bump no matter what business you are in.

The Board of Supervisors rejected that raise, but not others.

It approved raises for nearly a dozen other non-union officials as well as big bumps to the undersheriff ($116,000 to $135,000) and the corrections captain ($99,000 to $117,000).

So now Warren County has a situation where the undersheriff is making more than the sheriff.

LaFarr complained to the supervisors that the latest union raises - although modest - meant that supervisors would be paid less than their subordinates.

That raises question about how that happened.

I suspect overtime might be the cause, but I don't know that for sure.

If LaFarr wants to earn a 15 percent raise, he needs to show how he has kept spending in check in his department starting with a report on overtime among the rank and file.

The recent discussion about county salaries also revealed that many are well paid.

Here are some of the salaries The Post-Star provided:

- Clerk to the Board of Supervisors — $98,679

- Commissioners of Elections — $83,813 (two each)

- County Attorney — $158,366

- County Auditor — $86,131

- County Clerk — $93,419

- County Treasurer — $114,960

- Director, Real Property Tax Services Agency — $91,019

- Personnel Officer — $98,758

- Purchasing Agent — $98,837

- Public Defender — $137,525

- Superintendent of Public Works/Sewer Administrator —$130,072

These jobs are important in the county. These are also well paying jobs in a place like Warren County. It might be wise to check whether the salaries are in line with other upstate New York county salaries.

Warren County residents should thank LaFarr for brining these salaries to their attention so they can be reviewed.

Open meeting law

When I wrote about the Lake Luzerne library board going into executive session last week, I called on an expert for information.

Mark Mahoney, the editorial page editor of The Daily Gazette in Schenectady and the 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner while with The Post-Star, confirmed there are just two circumstances related to personnel that a board can legally go into executive session.

- Collective negotiations pursuant to Article 14 of Civil Service Law" - which is collective bargaining with employee unions;

- The medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation.

Keep in mind that Mahoney won his Pulitzer for his editorials on open government. I hope all local boards are paying attention and following the rules.