This election cycle has seen something that rarely happens in Suffolk. Sheriff Isaacs changed his campaign signs, specifically to target fiscally-minded people like yourselves. Starting September 5th, signs appeared all over town proclaiming that the Sheriff had saved this city 7 million dollars. The question that immediately follows is, how?
Well, the Sheriff himself answered that question on his resume.
The sheriff has cut training costs and has eliminated benefit costs by hiring retired law enforcement personnel (police officers, deputy sheriffs) as part-time deputies. The results saved the City of Suffolk over $7 million dollars the past 19 years.
He has since changed that phrasing to “certified retired law enforcement officers” or “Department of Criminal Justice Certified Part-Time Deputies.” The fact remains: The Sheriff is claiming that this money was saved by not paying benefits to these part-timers, and by not training them.
See for yourself how the Sheriff responded on Facebook when asked how he came up with the 7 million dollar figure:
Notice how snarky the Sheriff got with a voter asking a legitimate question in the comment section? Remember folks, this is coming from a man whose has been an elected politician for 20 years. A tip for the Sheriff – just because someone likes a Facebook page does not mean they are voting for that candidate. The lack of respect for a constituent is stunning.
But back to the 7 million dollar question. You may be asking, “So where’s the money?” That question was asked at a Hollywood/Jericho Civic League meeting. How do you think the sheriff answered? Listen to the audio:
Did you catch that? Sheriff Isaacs laughed at the question, then said, “I don’t know where it went, but I know we saved it.” Thing is, the Sheriff doesn’t know where the money went, because the money never existed in the first place!
It’s like going to the store, and seeing a great pair of $50 jeans on the rack, marked for clearance at $20. You have exactly $20 in your wallet, so you buy the jeans, then claim that you saved yourself $30. Thing is, you did not have that $30 in the first place, and you still don’t have that money. You can continue to delude yourself into thinking you saved yourself $30, but the truth is, you never would have bought the jeans at full price, because you couldn’t afford them, and now you’re out $20.
The Sheriff’s 7 million dollar figure is nothing but government math at it’s finest.