Chief deputy retires, rehired by county sheriff

By Michael D. Pitman, Staff Writer 9:47 PM Monday, April 11, 2011

HAMILTON — Butler County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer is taking a 15 percent cut to keep his job, which now pays $90,000 a year.

Dwyer, 48, retired on March 31 and was rehired on April 4. The practice, also known as double dipping, involves a government employee retiring to draw a pension and retaining a government job.

“It’s not uncommon for people to reach retirement age and take other jobs,” Dwyer said referring to others in the county who retired and were hired in a different jurisdiction. “That was an option that was open to me and I was looking at that option, quite frankly.”

Dwyer said Sheriff Richard K. Jones wanted to keep the long-time chief deputy who started his career working in the county jail at 21.

In addition to the cut in pay — which went from $105,941.48 to $90,050.48 — Dwyer said he wanted to stay in his current job, second-in-command in the sheriff’s office hierarchy. Though he is “retired.” he said he wasn’t ready to quit working.

As part of the agreement, the standard 18.1 percent match into the state retirement program is reduced to 14 percent and now paid into an annuity, a post-retirement savings account.

Dwyer also gives up his accrued sick hours. In his retirement package, the chief deputy was paid 320 hours of sick time; he had accrued 2,732 hours.

“He’s got his time in and was looking to draw his retirement and put his time in elsewhere,” Jones said. “I need him right where he is. He’s a very valuable employee to me.”

Jones said he’s reduced in half the number of majors and captains in his administration in recent years.

Dwyer said he believes many people don’t fully understand the retire-rehire process.

“Sometimes they don’t understand that if I left ... there’s still going to be someone going to be taking my spot,” he said.

Sgt. Jeff Gebhart, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 101 which represents the sheriff deputies, said it’s what the system allows.

“He has a lot of experience that’s important to the operations to the sheriff’s office,” he said.

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the SB5 bill will not stop CORRUPT management  from paying OUTRAGEOUS Salaries..

I don't know if SB5 addresses that but it might address the retirement age.  Ohio could make this more difficult to do by increasing the retirement age by 5 years.

All of us have been reading about the public's recent outrage and directing that outrage toward the public sector jobs. This doesn't make it any easier to support public sector people.

This article further engrains the anger I have right now with the public "inner circle" system which fosters public servant double-dippers. Dwyer is but a long list of double-dipper, keep it in the family, protect their own type of culture in this dam county and across the nation. It is time to stop this crap now. I have supported Jones on past issues and admire his tenacity in the sheriffs deparment, particularly with ICE and ridding the county of illegals. However, I can't agree with him on the subject of retire/rehire. This is a load of bull Jones.

Let Dwyer and the others retire, collect their pension and let a new up-and-coming person take his place and put in their time toward retirement. Happens alot with school superintendents too. Disgusting that no resistance and outrage has occurred from the general public concerning this subject. JMO

Vet - if Mr. Dwyer were actually resigning and leaving the Dept, what would be the hiring procedure to fill the vacancy? If he retired, should there not have been a search for a replacement as required by law? Just wondering...