Staunch supporter of Sheriff Allard reacts
An OPINION by Joe Haung-Racalto, Hornell NY
Scott Van Etten’s recent interview is nothing more than a desperate attempt to rewrite history and defend a reckless appeal that the majority of Steuben County taxpayers neither support nor deserve to pay for.
Consider his own words:
“Sheriff Allard has done a good job of framing this as an attack on him, the Sheriff’s Office, and law enforcement in general. That sure plays well in the court of public opinion…”
Sheriff Allard didn’t “frame” anything. Judge Cook himself ruled that the county acted in bad faith when Van Etten led the charge to strip indemnity from the Sheriff. The court saw it, the legislature saw it, and the public saw it. The only person refusing to see the truth is Van Etten.
“Every County employee should have the same personnel protections… which is why NYS required that we adopt the One Policy for All.”
That claim is laughable. The legislature didn’t strip indemnity from every employee — they singled out one elected law enforcement officer. This wasn’t about “fairness”; it was about retaliation. That’s not good governance. That’s politics at its worst.
“To not appeal this decision… would be willfully ignoring settled NYS law.”
No, what’s willfully ignorant is pretending this appeal is anything other than a poorly written, hollow, taxpayer-funded stunt. The legislature already voted against appeal. Chairwoman Fitzpatrick said it’s time to move forward. County Manager Wheeler agreed. Yet Van Etten insists on dragging us all into more pointless litigation, clinging to ego, not law.
Let’s be clear: this appeal is so weak it should have been filed for free. Instead, it’s draining county coffers while Van Etten scrambles to salvage credibility — credibility that is long gone, if it ever existed.
This is not just an attack on Sheriff Allard, it is an attack on every law enforcement officer who puts their life on the line for Steuben County. Sheriff Allard has built trust, modernized the Sheriff’s Office, and kept our communities safe. Meanwhile, Van Etten has embarrassed the county, wasted $500,000 of our money, and disgraced himself.
The courts have spoken. The legislature has moved on. The County Manager has moved on. The only one who hasn’t is Scott Van Etten — and it’s long past time taxpayers stopped bankrolling his vendetta.
Read the recent reporting from our exclusive interview with Scott Van Etten:
