Buffardi to step down as sheriff

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

Schenectady County Sheriff Harry Buffardi hugs his wife Nancy after arriving at the Hibernian Hall in Schenectady to celebrate his election to a third term on Nov. 7, 2006.

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Longtime Schenectady County Sheriff Harry Buffardi said he will resign soon and become a full-time assistant professor at Schenectady County Community College.

Buffardi has not set a date for the resignation, but will begin teaching classes for the two-year associate’s degree program Jan. 12.

“This seems like a more gentle, less complicated way of leading the next phase of my life,” said Buffardi, who is 58.

He has been with the sheriff’s department for 36 years, starting as a corrections officer and serving in the ranks until his election as sheriff in 1998. A Democrat, he was elected to a third four-year term in 2006.

Gov. David Paterson will likely schedule a special election after Buffardi announces his resignation. If Buffardi resigns prior to Sept. 20, the election will be held in 2009; if later, then November of 2010. The winner will serve a full four-year term, said County Attorney Chris Gardner.

Democrats control the major elected positions in the county with the exception of the county judgeship held by Republican Karen Drago.

The top Democrats are Robert Carney, district attorney, John Woodward, county clerk, and Buffardi. The Democrats also have an 11-4 majority in the county Legislature where they are led by Susan Savage, majority leader. Carney faces election next year and the terms of seven seats in the Legislature are up, five of which are held by Democrats.

SCCC spokeswoman Heather Meaney said the college’s board of trustees approved Buffardi’s appointment Monday. The appointment runs through May 31. There was a nationwide search for the position, she said.

Buffardi said his decision caught party leaders by surprise, as he did not tell them until after he took the SCCC job. Party leaders are trying to line up a candidate to succeed Buffardi.

“They tried to talk me out of it, but I have made my decision,” he said.

Buffardi will be paid $39,000 as an assistant professor, a step above instructor. He has taught criminal justice at SCCC part time for 14 years.

As sheriff, he earned more than $84,000 this year. He plans to draw his pension, which is worth 72 percent of his salary, to supplement his college pay.

“I’m not doing this to get rich. I doing it because it is a good, next chapter in my life,” Buffardi said. “I was getting toward the twilight of my enforcement years and I did not know what I was going to do with the rest of my life.”

Buffardi said the teaching position presented a unique opportunity for him. “I very much enjoyed being sheriff and I sure will miss it. It is something I have done for a major portion of my life, but this is a great opportunity.”

Buffardi applied to the college in October, half thinking he would not get the job. “I went through a lot of screenings and interviews,” he said.

As a teacher, Buffardi said he thinks he can make a difference with students. “I bring a lot to the field. I like this work very much,” he said.

Meaney said Buffardi brings “a wealth of experience, and we have been extremely pleased with what he has done in the classroom.”

Buffardi replaces professor Robert Hoff, who retired this year after a 25-year teaching career. The SCCC criminal justice program has 254 students. “It is a growing program here,” Meaney said.

respect from carney

Carney called Buffardi’s pending resignation a loss for the county. “His successor will have big shoes to fill,” he said.

“Most of the work of sheriff is running the jail, and that is not an easy job, especially for a facility cobbled together over the years,” Carney said. “It is a difficult place to administer.”

Carney counted among Buffardi’s achievements the aggressiveness of the road patrol. “I think they deserve a lot of credit for their activities for vehicle and traffic enforcements,” he said.

Carney said the news surprised him. “I didn’t see it coming, but I know he loves teaching,” he said.

Buffardi said he told his senior staff last week and his administrative staff Monday.

Buffardi, known for his openness with the media, faced several challenges during his tenure. The state Commission of Correction issued a blistering report following the 2006 escape of a multiple-felony prisoner from the recreation yard at the jail. The man was captured 19 hours later in Schenectady.

The commission said “serious managerial and executive-level operational and policy and procedure breakdowns of proportions which rise to the level of negligence and professional incompetence” contributed to the man’s escape. It ordered the county to increase staffing at the jail to 161 corrections officers. At the time, it had 147. The county has spent at least $1 million in new wages and benefits so far to comply with the state mandate.

Buffardi and the county have also been sued numerous times. The most recent lawsuit came Friday from Roger Harris, a former corrections officer. Buffardi fired Harris following his arrest in September for allegedly hitting a man outside a local bar. Harris alleges in a federal lawsuit he was fired because of his race. He is African American.

Buffardi said Harris was dismissed following an investigation, adding that Harris was on probation at the time.

Buffardi also drew the anger of the Schenectady Police Benevolent Association, the union representing city police officers, for his outspokenness about police officers and the union.

The PBA backed candidates against Buffardi, but Buffardi easily won re-election. He beat his last challenger by more than 10,000 votes out of some 47,000 cast.