As part of its preparation for tomorrow evening’s lieutenant
governor debate, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie
Sherrill’s campaign is considering an attack on Republican James
Gannon for taking his law enforcement pension while serving as
Morris County Sheriff.
That’s not sitting well with eight Democratic sheriffs in New
Jersey who do the same thing: accept their law enforcement pensions
earned before they became candidates for public office.
“I don’t see it as a problem,” one Democratic sheriff told the
New Jersey Globe. “If you come in with 25 years of service,
you’re entitled to it. It’s like someone from the private
sector getting their 401k.”
Another Democratic sheriff expressed frustration with the idea
that Dale Caldwell, who is running on a ticket with Sherrill, could
be part of an attack on Gannon’s law enforcement pension.
“It’s not right. They need to consider how that attack
will affect Sherrill’s own supporters,” the sheriff stated. “If
they want to present themselves as pro-law enforcement, they won’t
win many friends by attacking our pensions. Frankly, it’s
disrespectful. I’m disappointed.”
Gannon receives a $6,513 per month pension. It’s common
for retired law enforcement officers to launch second careers as
county sheriffs, and all 21 had prior law enforcement
experience. If Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis wins his bid for
Hudson County Sheriff – he’d be the first Democrat to lose since
1905 – he’ll be able to take his sheriff’s salary, along with
$3,593-per-month in a pension earned as a Bayonne police
captain.
Republican sheriffs also receive a law enforcement pension in
addition to their county salary.
The son of a decorated NYPD detective, Gannon was a beat cop in
Boonton before becoming an investigator for the Morris County
Prosecutor’s Office. He eventually became the deputy chief of
investigations and handled over 120 homicide cases before
retiring.
After his first election in 2016, Gannon paused his pension and
collected only his sheriff’s salary. He began collecting his
pension again when he started his second term.
Ciattarelli has opposed double-dipping, so it’s not clear how
he’ll approach Gannon’s pension if they win.
“Taxpayer-funded pensions should be suspended when a
person takes another taxpayer-funded job,” Ciattarelli has
said. “That’s how it will work when I’m Governor.”
He made the comment after former Camden County Prosecutor Jill
Mayer sought to receive a $127,000 annual pension while serving as
a Superior Court Judge. Mayer wound up winning a years-long
legal battle, only to reject the judgeship she’d
held hostage.
Sherrill has not said if she would limit appointees to a single
pension if she becomes governor.
The lieutenant governor’s debate is set for Tuesday, September
30 at 7 PM. It will air on PIX11, PIX11.com, and
the PIX11+ smartTV app available on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV,
and Samsung Smart TV.
The post Sherrill campaign may smack Gannon on pensions,
something most Democratic sheriffs do appeared first on New
Jersey Globe.
