January 26, 2022

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VOL.XLII / NO. 23 / January 26, 2022 Serving 47,125 readers week ly

F E AT URE S County Leg

In split vote, Legislature raises sheriff salary by over $30,000

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fter a lengthy discussion, the Tompkins County Legislature decided to raise the salary of the Tompkins County Sheriff position by $30,000, despite traditionally refraining from salary adjustments mid-term for elected officials. Deborah Dawson, the legislator who heads up the Budget, Capital and Personnel Committee, brought the resolution to the legislature. She explained that the undersheriff is currently being paid about $10,000 more a year than the sheriff, and that lieutenants in the department are also earning more than the sheriff. “Some of us felt that was not a tenable set of circumstances for a law enforcement agency to operate under,” Dawson said. The salary for the sheriff position is set by the legislature and is usually adjusted at the start of new terms. However, during the current sheriff term, Sheriff Derek Osborne requested the undersheriff position be reexamined to determine whether it was compensated fairly. This saw the undersheriff position classified as a grade 90 position, which has a working rate salary of $111,571 as of 2020. The sheriff ’s position does not have a grade, but has a salary of about $101,294. The grades are determined by job description and responsibilities and determine the salary. The local law the legislature passed will raise the sheriff ’s salary to $132,118, an increase of more than $30,000. Legislator Mike Lane said that while he understands the sheriff ’s department operates similarly to a military organization in that there’s a strict chain of command, he said that

Sheriff Derek Osborne

the difference is the sheriff is an elected official. “We have never changed an elected official’s salary from what it was set at prior to an election before a new term,” Lane said. “A terrible precedent is being requested here.” Lane also pointed out that the sheriff salary would be raised as the position is part of the contract negotiations approved in 2021. The salary will increase 4% retroactively for 2021, and another 3% for 2021. However, the others in the department will also get raises, so the pay disparity will remain. “I realize some folks are making an issue that he’s making less than the people who work beneath him, but he went into this with the understanding of what the salary would be for four years,” Lane said.

“And for us to now change this is, I think, not a proper way to proceed and I certainly can’t support it.” Legislator Mike Sigler was on the opposite side of things, and said he was glad this issue was brought up. “It would be one thing if the pay wasn’t so disparate between the sheriff and the undersheriff,” Sigler said. “He is leading an organization and when you lead, one would generally think there would be remuneration to pay for that added responsibility.” Legislator Lee Shurtleff agreed, and said the fact that the sheriff ’s position is not rated by the county shows the salary was likely set “in an arbitrary manner.” He added that since the legislature noticed something needs an adjustment, it’s their responsibility to take care of it in a timely

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▶ Boosters - The Tompkins County Health Department is announcing a COVID-19 Moderna vaccine booster clinic for ages 18+ Saturday, Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Additionally, TCHD will host a COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine booster clinic for ages 12+ on Saturday, Jan. 29 from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. The Pfizer booster clinic is open to everyone eligible for a

Ja n ua ry

A look back with Svante Myrick at his decade of service to the city of Ithaca

Sports �� 12

A comic goldmine �� 13 ‘Yoga Play’ at Syracuse Stage brings humor, satire to the stage

Newsline ��3-5 Opinion �� 6 Letters �� 7

ART S &E N T E RTAINME N T Dining �� 15 Art �� 16 Film �� 18 Times Table �� 21 Classifieds �� 22 On the Cover: Svante Myrick Photo by Casey Martin

ON T HE WE B Visit our website at www.ithaca.com for more news, arts, sports and photos. Call us at 607-277-7000 T a n n e r H a r d i n g , M a n a g i n g E d i t o r , x 1224 E d i t o r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m J a i m e C o n e , E d i t o r , x 1232 SouthReporter@flcn.org C a s e y M a r t i n , S ta f f P h o t o g r a p h e r P h o t o g r a p h e r @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m C h r i s I b e r t , C a l e n d a r E d i t o r , x 1217 A r t s @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m A n d r e w S u l l i v a n , S p o r t s E d i t o r , x 1227 Sports@flcn.org Steve L awrence, Spo rts Co lumnist St e v e S p o r t sD u d e @ g m a i l .co m M a r s h a l l H o p k i n s , P r o d u c t i o n D i r ec t o r / D es i g n e r , x 1216 P r o d u c t i o n @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m Sharon Davis, Distribution F r o n t @ I t h a c a T i mes . c o m J i m B i l i n s k i , P u b l i s h e r , x 1210 j b i l i n s k i @ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m L a r r y H o ch b e r g e r , A ss o c i a t e P u b l i s h e r , x 1214 l a r r y@ I t h a c aTi m e s . c o m F r e e l a n c e r s : Barbara Adams, Rick Blaisell, Steve Burke, Deirdre Cunningham, Jane Dieckmann, Amber Donofrio, Karen Gadiel, Charley Githler, Linda B. Glaser, Warren Greenwood, Ross Haarstad, Peggy Haine, Gay Huddle, Austin Lamb, Steve Lawrence, Marjorie Olds, Lori Sonken, Henry Stark, Dave Sit, Bryan VanCampen, and Arthur Whitman

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booster who is 12 years and older; this week’s clinic is not limited to ages 12-17 years. Booster doses are not yet approved for ages 5-11.Registration links for appointments are available on the TCHD website. You must bring a photo ID or a parent/guardian can confirm identity, your vaccination card, and expect to wait 15 minutes for observation following

A city transformed ��8

manner. “I understand the precedent we’re setting, but Tompkins County has a history of correcting classifications and salary levels when they’re not where they should be,” Shurtleff said. There was a distinct line being drawn between legislators, and one of the things being debated was the difference between elected officials and employees. Employees’ salaries and job classifications are done through compensation studies and department heads in tandem with human resources. However, elected positions like the sheriff and city clerk have their salaries set by the legislature. Dawson said that despite the difference in how they get their jobs, the distinction between elected officials and employees is misleading. “Our sheriff and county clerk are functionally department heads,” she said. “The sheriff has a department he manages and it’s not a small, unimportant, insignificant one. It’s a really crucial department. We have other department heads who are job grade 91, and their departments are no more important or significant, and sometimes not as large as, the sheriff ’s office. So I ask you all to consider that. When we hire a department head and circumstances change over four years we don’t say, ‘well, you accepted the job at this salary so you don’t deserve a raise.’” She noted that the sheriff ’s position had seen a lot change through COVID and the Reimagining Public Safety process

your injection. The COVID-19 vaccine is free of charge. Free transportation is also available to vaccination clinics. Present proof of your vaccination appointment to ride any TCAT bus free of charge. Alternative transportation arrangements can be arranged by calling 2-1-1 (1.877.211.8667) during regular business hours, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

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