Sheriff Defends Elevation
Nassau COs Rip Chef's Rise

By REUVEN BLAU
The union representing Nassau County Correction Officers last week charged that the jail's top cook has gone from chef to Sheriff due to his close ties to the head of the prison.

EDWARD REILLY: Political catch of the day?

The Sheriff Officers' Association is questioning why Sheriff Edward Reilly has just advanced his chief of staff and former jail cook Michael Sposato to Undersheriff, despite his lack of law-enforcement experience.

'Never Seen Likes of It'

"In my almost 17 years in the department, I have never witnessed the likes of the mismanagement and political patronage that is currently occurring at the Correctional Center," asserted ShOA Secretary John Jaronczyk.

Mr. Sposato previously worked as a cook in the jail for over a decade. "We want to see the qualifications of this man," Mr. Jaronczyk contended. "And we want everyone to know what is being done with the Sheriff's Department."

Elizabeth Loconsolo, general counsel for the Sheriff's Department, defended the promotion. "Correction Center employees receive very similar training to that of Correction Officers," she remarked during a Nov. 29 phone interview.

JOHN DUER: Questions elevation.

She noted that Mr. Sposato's training before being allowed to oversee inmates preparing food included courses in inmate supervision, contraband control, security procedures, mechanical restraints, and physical force. "He's been with the jail for over a decade," she remarked. "He brings a lot of experience in the operation of the jails with him to this position."

'A Cook Isn't a CO'

But ShOA President John Duer contended there was a huge difference between working as a Correction Officer and a Supervisor Cook. "The kitchen is an ancillary unit of the whole facility," he said. "The training that you would get is smaller than what you would need to run the whole facility."

The department has not promoted someone without correction experience to the Undersheriff position in the past 24 years, Mr. Duer added.

Ms. Loconsolo pointed out that current Undersheriff Sidney Head, who has years of correction experience, has been named the Commissioner of the Department.

But Mr. Duer noted that the Commissioner, a title which had been vacant for the past 17 years, reports to the Undersheriff. "What did he do to get demoted?" Mr. Duer asked. "We never heard or saw any reason for that to happen."

A Political Reward?

Mr. Jaronczyk argued that Mr. Sposato's promotion was politically motivated. According to the union officer, the veteran cook used his political ties to help Sheriff Reilly rally support after a scathing audit released by the Nassau County Comptroller in 2004 found various violations.

"Sheriff Reilly rewarded Correction Cook Sposato by making him a Cook Supervisor in the Inmate Kitchen," Mr. Jaronczyk officer contended. "A few weeks later, Sheriff Reilly again promoted [him] to Chief of Staff of the entire Nassau County Sheriff's Department."

At the same time, Mr. Sposato contributed $2,125 to County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi's failed bid for Governor, Mr. Jaronczyk pointed out. "One can only surmise why that decision was made," he added, referring to the subsequent promotion. "It's the equivalent of promoting a civilian staff member of the Police Department to Chief of Department."

Mssrs. Jaronczyk and Duer stressed that the union had no personal beef with Mr. Sposato or any of the department's cooks. "He's a nice guy," Mr. Jaronczyk remarked. "But there should be a minimal qualification; the Undersheriff is always a career law-enforcement officer."

Unusually Rapid Rise

Mr. Duer pointed out that it would require much longer for an officer taking civil service promotion tests to work his or her way up. "It would take a minimum of nine years, and he's moved up three positions in two years," he said, referring to Mr. Sposato.

Ms. Loconsolo maintained that Mr. Sposato worked closely with Sheriff Reilly while he was the top cook. "He became the eyes and the ears for the Sheriff," she said. Over the past 18 months, Mr. Sposato has served as chief of staff, she added. "He worked very closely with the Sheriff in reorganizing the management of the department and implementing new operational changes in the jail."

The latest dispute comes after the union recently delivered a vote of "no confidence" in Sheriff Reilly, contending that his policy decisions have endangered the health and safety of officers, inmates, and the surrounding community.

The union cited a variety of grievances against Mr. Reilly, including the lack of sprinklers in specific facilities and funding to provide officers with bulletproof vests and other protective gear needed to man outdoor posts.

Cite Health Hazards

ShOA represents approximately 1,100 Correction Officers who serve at the Nassau County Correctional Facility in East Meadow.

Union officials also charged that the department has also failed to repair leaky roofs where some 300 inmates are housed, despite paying penalties imposed by the state Labor Department in early 2005. The area is covered with mold and has caused health and electrical hazards, according to the union.

In addition, ShOA contended that its members who transfer inmates to the Nassau University Medical Center are forced to drive them in old, beaten-up vehicles that leak exhaust fumes, lack heat and have many mechanical problems.

Nassau County Correction Officers have been working under an expired contract since January 2005. The wage dispute seemed to be resolved in August 2005, when both sides announced a tentative six-year agreement that included a provision to end excessive overtime at the Nassau County jail.

Deal Went South

A week before the proposed deal was announced, it was revealed that one Correction Officer earned $224,903 over the previous year with the help of 1,040 hours of overtime. The county also claims that the average officer earns $100,000 annually by supplementing his or her salary working overtime, an assertion the union vehemently denies.

The tentative deal provided a 20-percent raise over six years, starting with a 2.5 percent hike in 2005 and a 3.5 percent boost for each of the next five years.

But the accord was rejected by the State Legislature after it was revealed that Nassau's other unions had the ability to demand similar benefits under their "metoo" clauses. Changing all those deals could have cost the state an additional $140 million.