Organization trying new approach in annual fundraising campaign

United Way of Orleans County’s announcement earlier this month of a $100,000 grant from Eastman Savings and Loan is among the latest funding which has been targeted for the county, through United Way, to help with Covid-related hardships.

Dean Bellack

This week, United Way of Orleans County’s director Dean Bellack announced another grant of $45,000 from the Western New York Covid-19 Community Response Fund, which has been distributed to 16 of the nearly two dozen agencies United Way funds in Orleans County. Bellack formed a committee to set the allocations from the grant.

So far the biggest amount from this grant, $7,000, was given to Community Action to purchase a refrigerator and freezer for the Eastern Orleans Community Center in Holley. In addition, $5,000 was awarded to Meals on Wheels, $4,000 to the Kendall Food Pantry to help with their move and new refrigerator units, and $4,000 to the YMCA in Medina for childcare needs and supplies.

Bellack joined United Way as a board member in March 2019. At that same meeting director Kaitlyn Delamarter submitted her resignation to take another job, and Bellack volunteered to offer his services as director, as he had just sold his company and retired.

He immediately saw potential for the United Way to accomplish more in Orleans County if the organization changed how it was viewed and how it asked for money. He began to broaden United Way’s image by working with other non-profits in the county and reaching outside the county for financial assistance.

His strategy paid off.

During a recent meeting with Community Action and Ministry of Concern, at which a $100,000 grant from Eastman Savings and Loan was announced, Annette Finch, director of emergency services at Community Action, praised Bellack’s insight for reaching outside the county for much-needed funding.  Although 2020 was a very challenging year due to the pandemic, nearly a quarter of a million dollars was received (and distributed) in Orleans County by United Way.

Several more grants were received, including $40,000 from ESL Bank, which was passed on to Community Action to use for housing assistance. Another grant for $50,000 was received from FEMA, which was again directed to Community Action for different housing needs.

The Buffalo Community Foundation reached out to United Way of Orleans County and gave $25,000. Another $15,000 was received from ESL, and $10,000 was received through United Health Care’s Blue Fund. This is one of the foundations around Orleans County that have reached out to United Way this year to help. These efforts by them and the communications United Way has established with them have formed new partnerships which will benefit the community moving forward, Bellack said.

“We were fortunate this year because foundations expanded their giving into Orleans,” he said.

United Way of Orleans County also received $10,000 from the Western New York Covid-19 Community Response Fund through the Buffalo Community Foundation, and $55,000 to hire a consultant to lead the county’s current efforts to bridge the digital divide.

‘We have to work together. We have to think bigger. We have to expand our horizon. By looking at it from a different perspective, we are changing the landscape.’ – Dean Bellack, United Way executive director

Bellack said Orleans County didn’t receive dollars from these large foundations outside the county in the past because “We never asked.”

“Only 6 percent of Foundation dollars goes to rural communities, even though we represent 18 percent of the national population,” Bellack said. “Only 3 percent of large corporate gifting goes to rural areas. We had the president of the Ralph Wilson Foundation on a Hub call a few weeks ago and he told us they want to give to rural communities. These foundations and corporations want to help rural communities, but they are not giving nearly as much as they can because the requests are not coming in.”

The major reason for not asking is because small charities often don’t have the personnel to write and administer a grant, Bellack added. For that reason, United Way’s goal is to hire a grant writer, who would be an employee of United Way, along with an administrative assistant. This grant writer would be available to any non-profit agency in the county.

“The benefits are obvious,” Bellack said. “Most of our non-profits do not have the time or the expertise to consistently apply for the large dollars that surround us.”

Bellack has also tried to increase communication and networking between local agencies and help them connect to the resources they need, especially from sources other than United Way. An example of the success of this is the monthly “Hub calls” Bellack has initiated, often connecting all county agencies and government institutions with information, such as outside pro-bono resources, new foundations to apply to and other agencies with needs they can collaborate with. Last week’s call also included the Ralph Wilson Foundation who reached out to the United Way to introduce our opportunities to create youth activities. The Ralph Wilson Foundation will be distributing $3 million dollars soon. Bellack has invited the YMCA, schools and other charities which could benefit to be on these calls.

One of the most visible projects in the county, which is occurring because of United Way, is the work taking place on the digital divide initiative. United Way brought together several community leaders, including County Legislator Ken DeRoller, Robert Batt from the Cornell Cooperative Extension, Kelly Kiebala from the Job Development Agency, Greg Reed from the YMCA and several larger employers and half a dozen representatives of non-profit organizations. Batt wrote the grant which resulted in $55,000 to hire a consultant.

Bellack urged all Orleans County residents to respond to the survey regarding the digital divide. The survey is available in English and Spanish by clicking here.

“The more people who respond means the more impact we have in the political and foundation world,” Bellack said.

United Way has also secured another round of funding for $10,000 from the Blue Fund. Bellack said they reached out to United Way after becoming aware of our efforts. This is the first time the Blue Fund has donated to Orleans County. This funding was allocated to local charities and included for the first time funds for Orleans Recovery Hope Begins Here.

‘Our workplace campaigns are vital and necessary for our yearly allocations which all our local charities count on. The stresses on our charities have been great this year, and the grant dollars we have been fortunate enough to receive are a bonus, but we cannot operate without healthy giving in the workplace campaigns.’

To decide where to distribute these funds received into the county, Bellack formed a committee, which includes himself, Darren Wilson from the Lyndonville Foundation, Jodi Gaines and Jackie Gardner from United Way and Bruce Schmidt from Community Action and Ministry of Concern.

“We have to work together. We have to think bigger. We have to expand our horizon,” Bellack said. “By looking at it from a different perspective, we are changing the landscape.”

While a lot of the grant money which came into Orleans County was because of Covid, Bellack said it is also because of the pandemic that United Way is not able to conduct workplace campaigns. Instead, they are making a fundraising pitch through a video created by Lynne Menz of Orleans County Tourism. Click here to see the video.

“Our workplace campaigns are vital and necessary for our yearly allocations which all our local charities count on,” Bellack said. “The stresses on our charities have been great this year, and the grant dollars we have been fortunate enough to receive are a bonus, but we cannot operate without healthy giving in the workplace campaigns.”

Charlie Nesbitt of Albion, former Assemblyman who served as chairman of United Way’s annual campaign several years ago, put it this way. “It is important that you recognize the value of United Way to effectively deliver what you contribute. However small, it can be the largest amount to the agency that needs it most.”

“Also, please visit our website to give,” Bellack added. “We now accept Venmo, Cash App, Pay Pal, Credit Card or Check. We are currently sending out our annual donation letters. If you get one please try and help. Even with the extra dollars we have gotten in we can only fund 50% of the requests we get across the county.”

Bellack also added a word of thanks to members of Orleans County United Way’s board, and issued a special thanks to four members who recently retired – Bill Hungerford, Dave Cook, Melinda Rhim and Kaitlyn Delamarter. He called them “long serving, dedicated community leaders.”

Three new members recently joined the United Way board – Laura Olinger, Jim Punch and Lynn Vendetti.

“These are all strong community leaders,” Bellack said. “We are thrilled to have these new members on board, and we thank all those who serve us and their community.”

County in talks with ICE, U.S. Marshals to hold federal detainees, defendants

Photos by Tom Rivers: This photo from 2013 shows two cells inside the Orleans County Jail, where the inmate population has dropped from an average of 49 inmates a day in December 2019 to 22 last month, a decline of 55 percent.

ALBION — The jail population significantly dropped in 2020 locally and statewide. The inmate population in the Orleans County Jail was down to 22 inmates in December, a drop of 55 percent from December 2019 when the average daily inmate count was 49.

The jail on Platt Street has a capacity for 82 inmates. The jail population is operating at only about a quarter of the available beds.

Sheriff Chris Bourke said the county is negotiating with two federal agencies to house Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees and U.S. Marshal’s Service defendants.

Bourke advised local elected officials during a Tuesday conference call that the county is negotiating with the two federal agencies. The jail will be inspected by ICE and the Marshals next week, Bourke said. The county DPW is working to clean and paint the jail in time for the inspection, Bourke said.

The contracts if approved would bring much-needed revenue to the county, the sheriff said.

Bourke said changes in criminal justice laws, including bail reform, is a big factor in the inmate population drop. He also said Covid-19 restrictions which have local courts operating at reduced levels, with cases be adjourned and sentences put off.

According to a report from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services, the Orleans County average daily inmate population was much higher from 2010 to 2019: 73 in 2010, 76 in 2011, 75 in 2012, 62 in 2013, 61 in 2014, 65 in 2015, 63 in 2016, 68 in 2017, 60 in 2018 and 58 in 2019.

Statewide the average daily inmate count in county jails has dropped from 25,059 in 2016, 24,457 in 2017, 22,821 in 2018, 19,920 in 2019. Statewide, the jail population is down 19.5 percent from December 2019 to last month, dropping from an average daily inmate count of 16,872 to 13,575.

The inmate population in county jails statewide hit a low in 2020 in July with 11,090 inmates in county jails. It has been rising since then to 11,583 in August, 12,266 in September, 12,824 in October, 13,392 in November and 13,575 in December.

The Orleans County Jail is located on Platt Street in Albion.

Program targeted to people with income loss due to Covid

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Dean Bellack, right, director of United Way of Orleans County, met Monday morning with staff from Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern and Community Action of Orleans and Genesee to announce a $100,000 grant from Eastman Savings and Loan to United Way of Orleans County. The money will be divided evenly between GOMOC and Community Action to help people with housing needs attributed to Covid-19. With Bellack are, clockwise from left, Lydia Duncan, client advocate from Ministry of Concern; Nyla Gaylord, director of Ministry of Concern; Annette Finch, director of emergency services at Community Action; Michelle Figueroa, emergency services case worker at Community Action; and Jeanette Worsley, housing stability specialist at Community Action.

ALBION – A $100,000 grant from Eastman Savings and Loan is the latest funding to be announced by United Way of Orleans County, through which the money is funneled.

Dean Bellack, executive director of United Way, met with staff from Community Action and Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern on Monday morning to formally announce the grant, which will be divided evenly between the two agencies to help people with rents, past due mortgages and utilities they cannot pay due to Covid. This money must be allocated between now and June.

United Way will get $10,000 of the grant for administrative costs.

Meeting with Bellack from Community Action were Annette Finch, director of Emergency Services; Michelle Figueroa, emergency services case worker; and Jeanette Worsley, housing stability specialist. From Ministry of Concern were director Nyla Gaylord, and client advocate Lydia Duncan.

Worsley and Duncan will run the program, with guidance from Finch and Gaylord, Finch said.

Finch stressed that people who want to apply for help through this program must present proof of their hardship due to Covid, and/or loss of income due to Covid.

Gaylord said she feels there are many people with higher incomes who are suffering because they have never had to ask for help and hesitate to do so.

Appointments to apply for financial aid from this grant must be made by calling Community Action at 589-5605 and asking for Worsley or Figueroa; or Ministry of Concern at 589-9210 and asking for Duncan. Worsley will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Duncan will be available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Gaylord said Ministry of Concern also has other money available to help people with car payments and insurance.

“Getting this extra grant is frosting on the cake,” she said.

Finch praised Bellack for his insight in making Orleans County more visible to large corporate donors outside the county.

There are three food distributions set for the final three Friday mornings in January. About 300 boxes of food will be given away at the events.

The start times are approximately 8:30 a.m. (If the Foodlink truck is there and unloaded, the event may start sooner.) Organizers are asking people not to line up before 8 a.m. due to possible winter weather conditions.

“We remind people not to block driveways,” said Melissa Blanar, director of the Orleans County office for the Aging, who helps organize the events. “We want to thank all the volunteers, without them there would be no events. Please be patient and kind.”

The schedule includes:

• January 15^th, Community Action Store, 113 South Main Street, Albion
• January 22^nd, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 NYS Route 31, Knowlesville, entrance is on Taylor Hill Road and not on Route 31. The line on Taylor Hill will need to go south away from Route 31.
• January 29^th, Community Action Store, 113 South Main Street, Albion

Independence, Green, Libertarian and Serve America Movement all knocked off the ballot

Four political parties in New York State – Independence, Green, Libertarian and the Serve America Movement – did not have enough votes in the last general election to remain a political party with a ballot line.

The state used to have a 50,000-vote threshold to allow ballot status for political parties. But that was changed to a 130,000-vote minimum in December 2019. The presidential election in November was the first with the new higher threshold.

The four parties all missed the mark and don’t have ballot status. The Orleans County Board of Elections has sent letters to registered voters in three of the parties (Green, Libertarian and Independence) advising them their parties no longer have ballot status and won’t be able to participate in a primary going forward. (The Serve America Movement doesn’t have registered voters in Orleans County.)

In Orleans County, the Board of Elections sent letters to 863 registered voters in the Independence Party, 120 in the Libertarian Party and 63 in the Green Party.

Those voters can remain in those parties but their enrollment will be changed to either OTHER-INDEPENDENCE, OTHER-LIBERTARIAN or OTHER-GREEN.

Registered voters in those parties could have the parties appear on the ballot but they would have to submit petitions and meet a signature threshold to have a candidate run as an independent, which would appear on the bottom of a ballot, and not be listed with candidates on parties with ballot status.

The parties with ballot status include Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Working Families. If registered voters in Orleans County from the Green, Libertarian and Independence want to switch to a party with ballot status and participate in a potential primary in June, they need to send a change of enrollment form to the Board of Elections by Feb. 14. Any enrollment change received after Feb. 14 will be effective on June 29.

Provided photos

ALBION – Nadine Hanlon takes the oath of office on Thursday afternoon as the Orleans County Clerk. She is joined by her husband Mike and daughter Michela. Hanlon’s other daughter Marisa just started a job at Unity in Rochester as a surgical physician assistant. Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church administers the oath.

Hanlon, a former Kendall town clerk, was elected county clerk in November. She worked the previous 15 years as the clerk to the Orleans County Legislature. She also was on the Kendall Board of Education for 10 years, including seven years as the board president.

Tracy Cliff takes the oath as one of the deputy county clerks. She is joined by her husband Mike while Church administers the oath.

Pam Boyer is the other deputy clerk and works at the DMV office. Boyer has been the deputy at the DMV the past three years. Cliff will work out of the Clerk’s Office where she has been an index clerk the past five years.

“Both ladies are good at what they do and I am looking forward to continue to work with the great staff that operates the Orleans County Clerk’s Office,” Hanlon said.

She looks forward to getting past the Covid-19 pandemic when the offices can return to normal. The DMV transactions are currently being handled by mail or by appointment.

“The restrictions are very stressful to staff along with those we need to serve,” she said. “We just continue to ask for patience during these trying times.”

Nadine Hanlon had a small swearing-in ceremony with Judge Church and Tracy Cliff.

ALBION – Orleans County will keep a lobbying firm in 2021 at a cost of $90,000 for the year, the same rate for 2020.

The County Legislature agreed to pay Park Strategies $5,000 a month for government affairs services at the federal level and $2,500 a month for government affairs services at the state level.

County officials say the firm has given Orleans County a “louder voice” at the state and U.S. capitols. Park Strategies was founded by Al D’Amato, the former U.S. senator from New York who is a Republican.

The firm assist county officials in setting up meetings with representatives from the state and federal governments. Park Strategies also makes the county aware of legislative that could be helpful or harmful to the county, and brainstorms ways to pursue funding for critical projects in the county, including expansion of high-speed internet.

This will be the seventh year the county has contracted with Park Strategies. County officials believe the relationship has benefitted residents. Park helped make the county’s case for canal bridges to be repaired. The state is spending about $10.7 million on seven bridges.

The state also has repaved portions of the Lake Ontario State Parkway, committed to dredging harbors on Lake Ontario and also allocated funds to protect lakeshore properties from flooding.

File photo by Tom Rivers: Orleans County election commissioners Janice Grabowski, left, and Kathy Case count absentee ballots in this photo from Sept. 18, 2017.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature has re-appointed the two election commissioners who led the Board of Elections through an unprecedented year.

Kathy Case of Murray represents the Republican Party and Janice Grabowski of Barre represents the Democrats.

They were reappointed for another two-year term, from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 31, 2022. They will each be paid $20,823 in 2021, and $21,239 in 2022.

“It’s been a different year but we all got through it,” Case said this morning. “You just have to do the job.”

Grabowski and Case in 2019 moved the Board of Elections office from a wing in a nursing home – The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center – to a the new addition at the County Administration Building.

But this past year brought new challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A special election for the 27^th Congressional District and a presidential primary were all delayed. They were eventually held on June 23, the same say as the local Republican primary. That meant the Board of Elections had three different elections on the same day.

They sent out about 24,000 absentee ballot applications for those races. About 5,000 voters would request absentees for the June 23 elections, and another 3,600 cast in-person ballots.

The county was approved for $46,022 in federal CARES funding to help with the added costs with the primary and election.

For the second year, early voting was offered at the Board of Election for nine days prior to the general election.

In the 2019 general election only 374 people used early voting option over nine days. This election, there were more than 10 times that turnout for early voting with 3,753 choosing that option.

The Board of Elections also handled about three times as many absentee ballots for the general election. There were 2,914 applications for absentee, which was up from 952 in 2016.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Traffic moves through Main Street in Albion on Dec. 26.

The County Legislature has approved the 2021 sales tax apportionment and it breaks a recent trend by giving the four villages a slight increase in the sales tax.

In recent years, the towns with villages has received small increases each year – at the expense of the villages.

The county receives about $17 million in sales tax annually, and shares $1,366,671 with the four villages and 10 towns. They have been frozen at that level since 2001.

The Legislature opted to not cut the towns’ and villages’ sales tax share for 2021, despite the strain on the county budget from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Once a decade the town and village amounts are set based on local population. However, each year after that the share is modified based on the assessed values of towns with villages.

There are four villages but two of them, Albion and Medina, are in two towns. So that makes six out of the 10 towns with villages as part of their population. Barre, Carlton, Clarendon and Kendall don’t have villages so their sales tax has been unchanged for nearly a decade.

With the towns with villages, if a town grows its tax base faster than the rate in a village, that town will get more sales tax – by getting more of the village’s. That is what happened almost every year since 2001. Most of the new development is just outside the village borders, or reassessments give the towns bigger increases than in the villages.

The villages saw their share take a hit by nearly $30,000 from 2013 to 2020, falling from $404,661 in 2013 to $375,620 in 2020.

But in 2021, the six towns with villages will collectively receive $7,831 less with the difference going to the villages. The Village of Albion will get $2,465 more, while Holley is up $906, Lyndonville gets a $1,125 increase and Medina is up $3,335.

Despite the increases, the four villages are still down significantly from their peaks in sales tax in the last 20 years.

In Albion, the village hit a high of $211,669 for Albion in 2004. In 2021, it will receive $168,153, which is $43,516 less than in 2004.

In Holley, the village hit a high of $62,549 in 2002 – 19 years later it’s down to $45,957, a cut of $16,592.

Lyndonville was at $18,592 in 2002 and has dropped to $16,368 in 2021.

In Medina, the village received a high of $173,592 in 2002 and will be at $152,973 in 2021, a decline of $20,619.

ALBION – The Orleans County Legislature set salaries for some of the elected and appointed officials following a public hearing on the matter on Dec. 16.

The Legislature set the salaries for the following county employees, who are elected or appointed:

• Social services commissioner, $101,135 with $200 longevity bonus for 10 years in the position
• Commissioner of Public Works, $95,667
• County Attorney, $95,667
• Public Defender, $95,667
• Sheriff, $83,251 with $2,000 longevity bonus for 30-34 years of service
• Real Property Tax Director, $80,970 with $500 longevity bonus for 15-19 years of service
• County Treasurer, $78,745 plus $1,250 longevity bonus for 25-29 years of service
• Personnel director, $76,583

The legislators set the salaries to compensate management and elected officials at 2 percent increases for 2021 and 2022.

That resolution from the Legislature will “control costs and provide certainty for the approaching budget process as it relates to compensation for management and elected officials,” according to the resolution approved by the Legislature.

The salaries in the management plan also continues a high deductible plan and complete health insurance reorganization with new hires responsible for paying 20 percent of the cost of the health insurance premium.

The Legislature also approved the following salaries, effective January 1, for certain part-time and unclassified employees:

Annual:  

Coroner, $2,089 – $100 per case/$50 per Hospice Case

Deputy Budget Officer, $3,714

Deputy Fire Coordinator, $2,357

Fire Investigator, $2,357

Historian, $11,500

Orleans County Engineer, $26,500

Director of Computer Services, $92,537

IT Operations Analyst I, $64,459

Secretary to the District Attorney, $54,554

Secretary to the Assistant District Attorney (.06), $46,170

Secretary to the Assistant District Attorney (.13), $38,009

Director of Public Health, $102,500

Public Health Administrative Officer, $60,431

Director of Community Health Services, $84,370

Secretary to the Sheriff, $56,095

Secretary to the Highway Superintendent, $56,095

Daily:

Court Attendant, $76.94

Examination Monitor (Full Day), $133.30

Examination Monitor (Half Day), $66.66

Hourly (Part-Time Employees):

Animal Control Officer, $15.37

Clerk (Elections), $12.50

Correctional Officer (Jail), $15.37

Correctional Officer (Jail) Second rate, $21.22

Crew Leader (Sheriff), $14.38

Deputy Sheriff Marine Patrol – Non Certified Deputy, $14.81

Sheriff Marine Patrol – Certified, $17.69

Dispatchers, $15.37

Medical Director, $107.00

Voting Machine Technicians, $19.44

Hourly (Full Time Employees):

Director of Emergency Management, $19.92

The Legislature also approved the salary for the Legislature chairman at $18,866 for 2021, with the vice chairman to be paid $14,265, and the other five legislators to each be paid $12,576 for 2021.

Tearful good-byes after 15 years as clerk of the Legislature

Nadine Hanlon

ALBION – Nadine Hanlon next week will start her new job as the Orleans County clerk. She has been the clerk to the County Legislature the past 15 years.

It was a tearful goodbye on Dec. 16 during her last monthly meeting as the Legislature clerk. Lynne Johnson, the Legislature chairwoman, and Hanlon both had to fight back tears during the meeting.

“I’m speaking on behalf of all the legislators when I say It was truly our honor and you will be missed,” Johnson said at the meeting.

Hanlon was elected county clerk in November. She will move back to the County Clerks’ Building at the Courthouse Square. She worked in the top floor with the Legislature before the group shifted to the new addition last year at the County Administration Building on Route 31.

The county clerk’s office is on the second floor of the historic building at the Courthouse Square. Hanlon will be over in the County Administration Building frequently because the county clerk oversees the Department of Motor Vehicles in the CAB.

“The legislators have treated me very well in my tenure here,” Hanlon said. “Thank you for everything you have taught me along the way.”

Hanlon’s father, the late Michael Paduchak, has his portrait on the wall in the Legislature chambers. Before there was a County Legislature 40 years ago, there was the Board of Supervisors, made up of the 10 town supervisors. Paduchak was the Kendall town supervisor and served on the Board of Supervisors.

Before joining the county, Hanlon was the Kendall town clerk. She also served 10 years on the Kendall Board of Education, including several years as president.

In 2013, she was chosen as the county employee of the year.

“I’m not leaving my work family, I’m just moving to different county office,” Hanlon said. “I get to continue to work with you and that is awesome.”

The Legislature appointed Lisa Stenshorn of Kendall to take over as clerk of the Legislature on Jan. 1. She has been the deputy clerk of the Legislature under Hanlon.

File photo from July 2017 by Tom Rivers: James Punch, retired Orleans County Court judge, will serve as administrator of the assigned counsel plan in Orleans County.

ALBION – A retired Orleans County Court judge is returning in a new role with the local court system.

James Punch has been appointed by the County Legislature to serve as administrator of the assigned counsel plan. He will be paid $35,000 for the role in 2021.

Punch retired as county court judge on July 29, 2017 after nearly 27 years as judge. He was the district attorney before that for five years. He was first elected at age 29.

Punch will take over as assigned counsel administrator, after Jeff Martin of Holley gave notice he was resigning from the post.

The Orleans County Bar Association voted and approved the recommendation that Punch serve as administrator. That was also choice of the Assigned Counsel Advisory Committee.

The county spends more than $500,000 a year on assigned counsel for residents who can’t afford an attorney for criminal or family court. There are about 50 attorneys on the county’s assigned counsel roster.

The administrator of the assigned counsel plan needs to make sure the attorneys don’t have any conflicts or past dealings with others involved in a case. The administrator will work with judges to find attorneys for cases.

The administrator also needs to ensure the residents meet income qualifications for indigent defense, and the administrator will assess the quality of legal services in the cases.

The administrator also should strive to make sure the cases are also rotated among the attorneys and that they follow consistent billing and reimbursement practices.

Punch was appointed to the position last week by the Legislature. The legislators also appointed former Medina Police Chief Jose Avila, who is retired from that job, to provide investigative service for the Public Defender in 2021. Avila will be paid $55 an hour, with the cost not to exceed $20,000 for the year.

Orleans County has had fewer people working during the pandemic than in the last 30 years. It is likely even longer than that, but the state Department of Labor data only goes back to 1990.

The DOL this week released employment data for November 2020. The state report shows 15,800 people were working in the county in November. That is the fewest of any November since 1990.

The most workers the county has had in a November was in 1998 when there were 20,300 workers, according to the DOL. In November 1990, the first year of the statistics available online, Orleans had 18,300 workers. In November 2019, there were 16,700 employed.

The 15,800 working last month is actually a big improvement from April, when the state Department of Labor counted 14,300 workers in Orleans. That was the peak of the government shutdown on nonessential businesses.

The 14,300 was the only time in the past 30 years Orleans has dipped below 15,000 workers.

The highest level of employment in the 30 years: June and July in 1998 when the county had 20,800 people working.

To see the data on Orleans, click here and search under Orleans County.

Unemployment rate continues to go down from pandemic high

The latest data from state Department of Labor shows the number of people working in Orleans County is down by 1,000 people from a year ago, when there wasn’t a Covid-19 wreaking havoc on the economy.

The DOL reported there were 15,800 people working in Orleans County in November, down from 16,800 in November 2019. The county’s unemployment rate last month was 5.4 percent, compared to 4.4 percent the previous November.

Here are the unemployment rates and number of unemployed in the Orleans County during the pandemic:

• March: 5.4 percent, 900 unemployed
• April: 15.9 percent, 2,700 unemployed
• May: 11.5 percent, 1,900 unemployed
• June: 10.8 percent, 1,900 unemployed
• July: 12.7 percent, 2,300 unemployed
• August: 9.8 percent, 1,700 unemployed
• September: 5.5 percent, 900 unemployed
• October: 6.0 percent, 1,000 unemployed
• November: 5.4 percent, 900 unemployed

Nationally the number of people working is down by 8.7 million, from 158.9 million in November 2019 to 150.2 million last month. In New York, the number of people employed shrunk by 790,000 in the 12 months, down from 9.15 million to 8.36 million.

The Rochester metro has 30,000 fewer workers, down from 500,100 to 470,000, while the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metro is down by 19,500 workers — from 517,300 to 497,700.

The employment data for other nearby counties (with November 2019 in parentheses) and the change in the number of people working:

• Erie, 5.9 percent (4.2) – Decline from 423,200 working to 407,300
• Genesee, 4.6 percent (3.8) – Workers down from 28,400 to 27,000
• Livingston, 5.6 percent (3.9) – Decline from 29,500 to 27,700
• Monroe, 6.0 percent (4.0) – Down from 346,900 working to 326,100
• Niagara, 6.0 percent (4.7) – Decline from 94,100 employed to 90,500
• Ontario, 4.6 percent (3.6) – Down from 53,300 working to 50,100
• Orleans, 5.4 percent (4.4) – Down from 16,800 workers to 15,800
• Wyoming, 4.7 percent (4.0) – Decline from 17,100 to 16,400

New York City is suffering the highest unemployment rates — 16.0 percent in Bronx, 12.1 percent in Kings (Brooklyn), 9.3 percent in New York County (Manhattan) Richmond (Staten Island), 9.8 percent and Queens, 11.6 percent.

Tompkins and Columbia counties have the lowest rates at 4.0 percent.

Provided images

ALBION – The Orleans County Sheriff’s Office joined several local families at Walmart on Saturday for the second annual “Shop with a Cop” program. The Walmart Foundation awarded the Sheriff’s Office a $3,000 grant for the program.

Sheriff Chris Bourke said it was a “great day” for the children, their families and members of the Sheriff’s Office who were part of the program.

“A big thank you to Walmart for providing the very generous gift cards for the kids to shop with and Orleans County Child and Family Service for assisting with the organization of this event,” Bourke said. “Several kids along with a family member were able to go with our Sheriff’s Deputies, Correction Officers and Volunteer Clergy members to pick out gifts for their parents and siblings. The kids then picked out gifts for themselves. The kids picked out some toys and other items but some  bought food items so they would be able to have a nice dinner on Christmas Day.

“I would like to personally thank the Sheriff’s Office members who reached into their own pockets to pay the difference for the families that went over the card limit.”