Tuesday, August 28, 2007
St. Joseph County Sheriff Earning $200K Plus A Year
St. Joseph Co. Sheriff Frank Canarecci's annual salary is $110,000, but he's also pocketing a percentage of state tax payments he collects, which could be boosting his annual pay $85,000 to $120,000 per year. This news apparently came as a surprise to county officials, who are supposed to know what's going on. The county, by law, can limit the sheriff's pay to his statutory salary, but the county hasn't had a contract with Canarecci since he's been in office according to the South Bend Tribune. "I've never been so angry," said [County Commissioner Mark] Dobson, adding that he will ask the county attorney to investigate the situation."Statutorily it may be correct," Dobson said, "but that doesn't make it right." "The commissioner called the situation 'morally reprehensible' and complained that Canarecci is 'pocketing a revenue source' at the same time that county officials are struggling to provide raises for jail guards," the Tribune reported. The president of the County Commissioners, Steve Ross, said he didn't even know the county didn't have a contract with the sheriff. "Now we're going to be asking questions," Ross promised. Shouldn't he have been asking those kinds of questions as soon as he took office?
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12 comments:
In the 2006 Commissioner's election, Canarecci (D) endorsed Dobson (R) over another Democrat
(who narrowly lost to Dobson).
This is too pathetic to be funny. How long have Indiana sheriffs used this method for supplementing their income? Gosh, I don't know, but at least for as long as I can remember.
NOW, the County Council is shocked to find out about it?
What about Bling Bling Anderson? He makes at least $200K a year.
How much does Frank Anderson make?
Some of his employees have said about $2 million when everything is included.
That was before he decided to forgo over $100,000 in jail revenue discovered by a State Board of Accounts review of sheriff compensation.
Interesting that after the Indiana State Board of Account Report was released, Frank found $100,000 for a new gun buy back program?
Frank Anderson scoffs at such a meager income.
Well , golly, 200,000$. Frank makes upward of 400,000 here in Indy. Does not really seem very "public service" now does it?
And the council didn't know? Right.
Sounds like word just leaked out to the rest of the county. All citizens should ask how much their Sheriff is making. They might be shocked.
My great-grandfather was a small county sheriff (staff of five) for eight years decades ago. He took a pay cut to take the job.
He often recalled, that in about 1955, the legislature was lobbied, and agreed, to allow sheriffs to keep a percentage of delinquent taxes collected. The legislature at the time thought, well, it's gravy for us, why not throw some gravy the sheriff's way, too?
In small counties like my hometown, it probably amounts to a few thousand a year. The same principle is equally applied to all 92 counties, however, and that adds up quickly in larger counties.
Last year, when the Frank Anderson haul was exposed, I remember the reaction by many elected black leaders: so help me, they protested that "you didn't protest when white men were sheriff," or words to that effect. In other words, "you got yourz, let us get ourz." Amos Brown said words almost exactly like that.
As long as we have that kind of attitude, this problem will not be solved.
For the life of me I don't understand why we're electing the chief law enforcement officer anyway.
Well this should have Jackson County Sheriff Marc Lahrman jumping for joy. His predecessor, Jerry Hounshel earned $300,000 last year by pocketing what was left of meal money designated for inmates. Maybe Lahrman can break his record. I sure hope he can make enough to pay whoever it was that threw the election for him.
Too bad that the powers that be didn't think to throw the prosecutor's race as well. The terrified citizens of Jackson County, having just had a major breach of law enforcement trust spoke with their ballots that day.
That is why we need to elect someone who pleges not to except the kick backs and use that money for something to improve public safety. Wise up St. joseph its been going on for years.
I don't think people give Sheriff Canarecci enough credit, in fact it seems a lot of the angry posts comes from paycheck envy. If I can recall correctly, didn't the Tribune have an article last month on how the sheriff gave the county hundreds of thousands of dollars that were earned from investments of the pension fund? And then I remember an article about the sheriff taking 20,000 out of his paycheck to be able to give the deputies a payraise since the commissioners refused to. I know 20,000 isnt much when divided among all the deputies, but I think it does say something for public service. In addition to the 10,000 he takes out for college scholarships for police officers or wannabe police officers, it doesnt bother me that he gets a bonus from the state for collecting unpaid business taxes. I do have to wonder if some of Commissioner Ross's anger stems from his own unpaid business tax warrants...
Realistically, if the state decides to do away with the 10% going to sheriffs for collecting unpaid tax warrants, will that push the collection of these unpaid tax warrants to the bottom of the "to do" list? I think I feel better giving the sheriffs a 10% commission, with the state and counties receiving 90% of the taxes they wouldn't normally receive. With budget crunches going on, can we afford to not give an incentive?
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