Spartanburg Sheriff Chuck Wright challenged by Nick Duncan | Spartanburg Politics

SPARTANBURG — On June 11, longtime incumbent Sheriff Chuck Wright will face a challenge from a former corporal in his department.

Wright said he has the experience needed for Spartanburg sheriff, a position he has held for nearly two decades.

Nick Duncan, his challenger, believes he has new ideas that could help the sheriff's office better serve the county's citizens.

Officer Salary

In the next fiscal year, Class 1 deputies will receive a 10 percent salary increase in the proposed budget, while Class 2 officers – who are limited to working in the detention center – will this year receive the same 5 percent increase than other county employees.

The proposed base salary for Class II deputies under the new budget would be $46,283, while the starting salary for Class I deputies would be $48,487, according to county spokesperson Scottie Kay Blackwell.

Meanwhile, the county jail is short on officers, with 34 vacancies last month.

As sheriff, Duncan would like to conduct interviews with officers to learn more about why they leave and treat Class 1 and Class 2 deputies the same during pay raise negotiations.

“A lot of them do the same job,” Duncan said. “If you and I were doing the exact same job and you got a 10 percent raise this year and I got a 5 percent raise, that's going to piss me off.”

Duncan also said the sheriff should fight more publicly to get more money for officers.

“I understand you have executive sessions where you do things behind closed doors,” Duncan said. “But if you can’t get somewhere behind closed doors, then you need to take it outside.”

Wright noted that the County Council ultimately controls the purse strings.

He said he asked for more money than he received, but pointed to $5,000 entry bonuses and $3,000 retention bonuses as other salary increases benefiting two deputy classifications.