Carroll County Sheriff Ken Tregoning has asked the Commissioners and Legislative Delegation to consider raising the Sheriffs pay from $ 75,910 to $ 90,000. Here is what I think. Request to Increase to Sheriff’s Salary ill advised: On October 11, 2013, the Carroll County Times reported on the county and legislative agenda for the upcoming session of the General Assembly. Upon reading the article, I took notice of the request by the current Sheriff, Ken Tregoning, to increase the Sheriff’s salary by 20%. Though he will not reap the benefits of the requested increase, I find in strange that with his fourth term nearing an end and 15 years in office, he now asks for this increase. I believe that this request should have been made in more prosperous economic times. Moreover, I believe that any salary increase should have been requested for the rank and file men and women of the Sheriff’s Office who put their lives on the line every day to protect the citizens of Carroll County. As the lowest paid law enforcement officers in the area*, it is disingenuous to ask for a raise at the Sheriff’s position when the deputies have not had a major pay or benefit increase in over five years. Our current economy does not, and frankly cannot, support this increase at this time. Although I agree with Delegate Kreb’s statement that the Sheriff incurred additional responsibility since becoming the County Police Force, I do not see the need to increase the salary at this time. With respect to the comments made by Commissioners Frazier and Rothschild, having enough candidates to run for the office should not be the reason to disregard the request. Rather, the focus should be on who is willing to do the job at the posted salary. The Sheriff’s job is to lead a team of professionals in the prevention of crime and to protect the public and their property. It is also his/her constitutional duty to support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the State of Maryland. If anyone running is more concerned about the salary they will make then maybe they should re-assess their career options. Those of us who chose this line of work did not choose it for the money. We do it for a higher calling of service to the public. As a candidate for Carroll County Sheriff, I do not support the 20% requested increase in the Sheriff’s salary. I am not running for a salary increase. I am asking the citizens of Carroll County to hire me at the posted salary. I am running to do a job that is at times difficult yet rewarding. More importantly, I am running because I believe that the citizens of Carroll County deserve a choice of whom they want to hire to provide the law enforcement services their taxes pay for. Do you want to hire someone who is concerned about his salary over and above those of his team or someone who is concerned about your safety and a rising crime rate? I would support a request to reasonably increase the salary of the men and women who work the streets of Carroll County every day to protect the citizens who employ them, but only when the economy is better suited to do so. Finally, I would ask the Commissioners to table the Sheriff’s request until the economy of the State and County is better suited to do so. Nonetheless, should the Commissioners approve of and forward the Sheriff’s request to increase the Sheriff’s salary to the Carroll County Delegation, I would respectfully request that the Delegation table the request. Additionally, should the delegation move forward with the legislative request to raise the Sheriff’s salary and the legislation is signed into law, if I am elected as the Sheriff, I would take the 20% increase, approximately $15,000 and use it to benefit the deputies whether it be for training or some other necessity. *Starting Salaries for Officers/Deputies in the surrounding area: Baltimore County PD: $ 46,699 Carroll County Sheriff’s Ofc: $ 37,378 Frederick County Sheriff: $ 41,972 Frederick City PD: $ 43,187 Howard County PD: $ 47,798 Montgomery County PD: $ 47,959 Maryland State Police: $ 42,497 Westminster City PD: $ 39,720
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 22:13:21 +0000
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015