County’s DA wins extra help from lawmakers

NORWICH – Chenango County District Attorney Joseph A. McBride is on his way to getting the help he says he needs in order to manage his department’s heavier workload.

“It’s been a very bad year in Chenango County,” he told members of the county’s Finance Committee Wednesday.

Eighty-three indictments, including three open murder cases and one manslaughter case, prompted the DA to make a request earlier this fall for a full-time Assistant District Attorney. He said the new ADA would take the place of two unnamed part-time ADAs whose jobs would be eliminated in January.

McBride and members of his staff were on the agenda of the Safety & Rules and Personnel committees twice before reaching unanimous support from Safety & Rules, followed by a 4 to 2 vote in Personnel on Tuesday. He was finally granted his request Thursday after a 4 to 1 vote in Finance.

Personnel Chairman and Finance Committee member Wayne C. Outwater, R-Lincklaen, voted down the measure both times. Personnel Committee member Jerry L. Kreiner, R-Plymouth, also voted against it.

Outwater said he had taken offense to comments McBride wrote in a statement detailing his department’s request. “Your comments about the county not having additional funds for your department or making salary adjustments when asked ... I take offense to that. We made you full-time and have approved staff raises.”

McBride said he had not meant to be offensive, but instead wanted to point out that he had never before asked for additional staff. He said that he had a candidate in mind who had the expertise to try cases immediately and needed the help.

Outwater suggested that McBride apply funds set aside in an extra hire account line in order to pay for assistance through the end of the year. He asked his fellow Finance Committee members not to approve the request.

“I know he’s in a bind, but I want him to dig his heels in and tough it out through this until the 2008 budget,” he said yesterday. “Then we can take a look at it.”

McBride successfully defended his request in both committees, however, pointing to a lengthy government approval process that would ensue if he were to ask for additional funds in an extra hire line.