NORWICH – A proposition to make Chenango County Public Defender John Cameron a full-time employee of the county has been handed down to the county’s Personnel Committee after members of the Safety and Rules Committee heard the proposal at a meeting held last week.

Cameron met with the committee last week with a request that he be made a full-time employee, citing increased court activity in recent years and reoccurring conflictions in his obligations to county court and city and town courts. Cameron told the committee that – although the Public Defender’s Office is doing an “adequate job” – scheduling conflicts sometimes keep clients from getting the attention owed them.

“Throughout the week, there are very important matters that arise and the courts are getting busier and busier,” Cameron said, pointing particularly to a growing number of cases in the Town of Norwich court. “In my view, what we are able to do isn’t sufficient.”

He also explained that the Public Defender’s Office commonly assigns out cases to contracting lawyers who are then reimbursed by the county.

“We don’t have anyone to cover some of these matters ... the need is there,” he added. “Clients are entitled to my full attention and right now, they’re not getting it.”

Cameron brought two proposals to the committee for consideration. The first proposal, preferred by the office of the public defender, calls for full-time status for Cameron with a pay increase of $30,482 (from the current $59,518 as a part-time employee) and elimination of an extra hire (at $2,471) and a secretary to assistant the public defender position (at $4,821).

The second proposal calls for the same, although it also eliminates two additional part-time positions, one being an assistant public defender (at $36,702). Three such positions currently exist. Moreover, it eliminates the secretary to that position (at $4,271).