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Erie County Council reviews assistant public defender salary ordinance and introduces three appointments
Summary
Council members reviewed an ordinance to set the salary for a full‑time assistant public defender — who has been working per diem since January — and introduced three appointment items for county authorities; a motion for executive session was also raised before adjournment.
Erie County Council reviewed an ordinance to set the salary for a full‑time assistant public defender and introduced three appointment items during a brief meeting.
The salary ordinance for a full‑time assistant public defender is already past its first reading and is awaiting a second reading, officials said. The prospective employee has been working on a per‑diem basis since the beginning of January and, if second reading approval is received, would begin as a salaried employee on Feb. 1, according to council remarks. Wayne Johnson, the outgoing assistant public defender, left last summer.
The council also brought forward three appointment items. Council member Horton introduced Gerald A. Smith, BSC CADC, as a possible appointee to the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority for a term to expire Dec. 31, 2029. A separate item presented Christopher Perry Land as a possible appointment to the Human Relations Commission for a term to expire Dec. 31, 2028. Council member Copeland brought forward the possible reappointment of Susanna Faulkner to the Erie County Land Bank for a term to expire Dec. 31, 2029; a council member noted Faulkner had been approved the previous month to fill a partial term.
A motion for an executive session was made during the meeting; the transcript does not record a formal result for that motion before the meeting adjourned. A motion to adjourn followed and the meeting concluded.
No formal votes on the salary ordinance or the listed appointments are recorded in the meeting transcript provided; the ordinance remains pending a second reading and the appointment items were introduced for future action.
