District Attorney Holley Carnright is asking the County legislature for an additional 120k in the 2008 County budget to give his full time staff raises. The current 1.9 million dollar budget Carnright described as bare-bones.
Carnright says these raises are necessary to stay competitive with other Counties. '' I'm afraid we may lose key personal said Carnright.
I agree with D.A. Carnright, you get what you pay for and the County must invest money in the D.A.'s office. You can't expect to attract a talented staff to serve as an A.D.A. for 45k per year, at least not for any lengthy period of time anyway.
I urge the criminal justice committee and the U.C. legislature to approve the request by D.A. Carnright.
15 comments:
Sure! Give Me A Raise Too! So I Can Pay For These High Gas Prices!
Holley may want to go to the Legislature before he goes to the press. Not a very smart move on his part.
Do some research. The DA's office uses mostly part-time prosecutors that are either in private practice by themselves or affiliated with local law firms.
The District Attorney's annual salary is $100,000 plus; so I doubt very much that the few full-time attorneys employed there are at the $45,000 level. Part-time attorneys are paid per diem.
Now do your homework. Go to the Ulster County 2008 Adopted budget book. When you get to the District Attorney's Office listing, it will reveal full-time employee names and salary allotted. Part-time staff are not listed.
Compare these salaried amounts with adjacent counties: Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan, and Greene. You might want to include Albany and Westchester Counties as these municipalities are at the high end of the spectrum.
When you state,"Give Carnright the money"-- you must back it up with facts and figures to justify additional funding rather than mere generalities.
First, all DA's make very little money. It is part of the job and the reason most do not stay in it very long and go into private practice. They all accept that when they decide to be an assistant D.A. They trade money for the opportunity for trial experience. What would be more revealing is when have they last received any type of raise? He has not stated that. Also, maybe he should not have given that huge salary to his buddy who is the new investigator/administrator. That guy is making more than double what the old investigator was making. What does he do for that kind of money while also collecting on a federal pension from the FBI. Couldn't some of that money have been more wisely used to keep his senior assistants a little happier. He needs to show a little more creativity and also needs to show he has come through on his promise to bring in state money for the office before I will agree the county should be giving these people raises while the rest of America is taking pay cuts.
Time to wake up and smell the flowers. Read page 46 of yesterday's Times Herald Record:
Warwick Valley Telephone workers approve a 1.5% raise in 3-yr deal which includes employee contributions to health insurance of 22% of cost.
Temp agency said IBM laid off employees - workforce reductions, contract employees. In 2001, temporary IBM employees were forced to sign up with Manpower - often with less pay and benefits than when they were directly employed by IBM.
Here in the City of Kingston and County of Ulster and School Districts 10% raises are doled out over 3 years and less than $ 1,000 is contributed for health care.
Smell the flowers legislators - don't give away what taxpayers aren't receiving in private industry and use the words - workforce reductions and less pay and benefits.
If you can't manage the resources - effectively resign and go back to the private sector.
To Mr. Bill Berardi, Why don't you run and put your balls on the line? You spout off and never offer solutions. Offer REAL solutions. It looks so easy doesn't it? Run for office and fix things if it is so easy.
This post is going over to Abe too because Blaber tends to go easy on Berardi for some reason. Oh Yeah, he has a a Blaber sign on his lawn.
Bill,
Correction! Ulster county civil service full-time employees hired after 01/94 contribute 15% of the total health Insurance premium to the county. As you know there is only one health insurance provider for the county--that's Blue Cross/ Blue Shield. Since I have the family plan PPO, I pay $255.26 monthly or $3,060 annually. I don't know what the arrangements are for managerial employees; only collective bargaining unit blue collar workers.
Was he not aware of the salaries when he went out and promoted himself to be out distric attorney?
Why is it that he and his staff need a raise already and has only been there 5 months and hasn't even worn in his new chair yet?
45k a year would be a nice living in ulster county if the legislators werent over paying for jails, social services and affordable housing and taxes us all to death?
Stop the raises and try cutting some fat and lowering taxes for once....After all you wre all voted in to speak the voice of the people and yet I havent talked to anyone lately that is telling me how great they are doing financially in ulster county or how proud they are of their elected officials!
Stand up and make the right decision and save the taxpayers some cash, 100k and year for the boss and 45k for the help, sick time, vacation time, personal days and holidays, plus every weekend off for an position to learn your trade is not a bad deal!
Our tax bills are!
There is one function which government cannot shirk: the security of the citizens. Whether that is law enforcement, the corrections system, courts or military defense, that is where adequate emphasis must be placed. If the District Attorney's Office requires more resources, provide them. If you have to take them from something less essential (social services or the County motor pool, for instance), do so.
This is just another sign of irresponsible spending by the County. They'll spend it on nonsense but pretend to be thrifty in the one area where being cheap could cost people their lives.
This all goes back to URGENT folks.
URGENT is putting alot of crims in jail...and the DA's office needs resources to prosecute the cases.
By the way, does how effective is URGENT [with overtime cops] if all they do is bust "dime baggers". Something that the normal Police Departments should be able to do on "regular time.".
To anonymous and county employee:
Who said it was easy? Easy is what you pay to do like vacation - it's real work that's why we get paid. In reference to the "sports equipment" - sign your name, like I did.
What is the cost of the family plan to the County? Management should be paying the same as the rank and file.
I worked for the county for nine years and never saw so much wasted time and money.
Done let anyone tell you they are working hard if their check comes from uptown.
If they are its thier own fault because 99% of the employees and the management are on cruise control.
If there was any accountability and and repercussions, there would be no employees or managers around.
Hell, the big guys bothed the jail and we are all paying for it, and Harvey is the only casaulty?
Wake up.....Ulster county is run by fools with no business experience and if they dont spend the money alotted this year, they dont get it next year, thats why there is no cuts ever!!!!!!
Thats reality and Holly and his team will get thiers, trust me!
And like the previous poster, they almost deserve it, at least they have educated positions that try to help rid our county of the filth
I worked for the county for nine years and never saw so much wasted time and money.
Done let anyone tell you they are working hard if their check comes from uptown.
If they are its thier own fault because 99% of the employees and the management are on cruise control.
If there was any accountability and and repercussions, there would be no employees or managers around.
Hell, the big guys bothed the jail and we are all paying for it, and Harvey is the only casaulty?
Wake up.....Ulster county is run by fools with no business experience and if they dont spend the money alotted this year, they dont get it next year, thats why there is no cuts ever!!!!!!
Thats reality and Holly and his team will get thiers, trust me!
And like the previous poster, they almost deserve it, at least they have educated positions that try to help rid our county of the filth
Bill Berardi wrote:
To anonymous and county employee:
Who said it was easy? Easy is what you pay to do like vacation - it's real work that's why we get paid. In reference to the "sports equipment" - sign your name, like I did.
What is the cost of the family plan to the County? Management should be paying the same as the rank and file.
BeenThereDoneThat responds:
Blue Cross/ Blue Shield Health Insurance bills the county $20,400 annually for the PPO plan. A full-time county worker hired after 01/94 contributes $3060 [15% of the premium] by bi-weekly payroll deduction. Annual county cost: $17,340. Hope this answers your question.
support the tax increases so carnwright can hire better people and give raises. After all maybe then he can win a case and show juries the whole picture so they could indict or clear officials under a cloud of corruption
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