4 days ago
Decision to slash sheriff's salary assailed by county council critics, 'lack of foresight'
Martha Foster believes Spartanburg County Council's decision to slash the salary of the future Spartanburg County Sheriff will make it more challenging to attract the right person for the job.
'It is disgusting to see the lack of insight, the lack of responsibility, and the lack of foresight' on the part of council members, she said.
Foster was one of several community members who spoke at Monday's county council meeting to criticize the decision to cut the sheriff's pay in half. Speakers drew raucous applause from some of the attendees.
'You cannot get good, qualified people if you don't pay them properly,' Richard Burch told council members.
Former Sheriff Chuck Wright resigned in May amid controversy that included allegations of misuse of a county credit card and an ongoing FBI investigation into the sheriff's office. A special election will take place in November to choose his replacement.
Last week, county council voted unanimously to set the first-year salary of the new sheriff at $100,000, plus a $15,000 stipend.
Wright's salary had been $219,000 with a $15,000 stipend.
'It was quite a difficult discussion,' Chairman Manning Lynch said last week.
The decision to cut the salary was a way to begin getting some control over a sheriff's office that many believe had gotten out of hand.
Lynch said last week that council members 'feel so betrayed and let down' by Wright. He said he expects the sheriff's salary will be increased after the first year.
Council members voted to approve the funding of an outside audit of the sheriff's office staffing as part of its roughly $334 million 2025-2026 fiscal year operating budget. The budget received third reading approval on Monday night.
The sheriff's office is 'our largest department, our largest cost, so we want to make sure that dollars are going to people doing the right job,' said Monier Abusaft, who represents Spartanburg County Council District 1.
Several council members raised concerns about the sheriff's aviation program, which includes two helicopters and personnel to operate them.
Last week, Interim Sheriff Jeffery Stephens said he is reviewing the program. The helicopters 'are very, very expensive to maintain,' he noted.
Attendees at Monday's meeting seemed unimpressed by the council's efforts to get a better handle on the sheriff's office.
Woodruff resident Chris Young said council members shouldn't be too aggressive in exerting control over a sheriff elected by the county's voters.
'The idea of a county council overseeing the sheriff's office is wrong,' he said.
Frank Tiller, who was recently elected to serve as chairman of the Spartanburg County Republican Party, said he thinks the move to slash the sheriff's salary was 'ridiculous.'
However, he took a broader aim at the council, alleging that meetings often feel scripted, decisions are frequently made outside the public's view, and the common fee-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements with businesses lack transparency.
He asked audience members to raise their hands if they shared his concerns. Many did.
'We're not happy – we're not happy at all,' Tiller said.
Abusaft, the only Democrat on the council, took several minutes to respond to those who criticized council members.
While he didn't address issues such as fee-in-lieu agreements, he did push back against the logic that lower starting pay for the next sheriff will diminish the quality of the candidates.
He noted that the field of Republican candidates in the special election to replace Wright has remained crowded, even after news of the reduced salary.
'It's not like Sheriff Walker, Texas Ranger, was coming, but now he's not,' Abusaft remarked.
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Comments at Spartanburg council meeting focus on cut in sheriff's pay
