Martin County Sheriff William Snyder shakes up staff, sheriff's office

William Snyder's whirlwind campaign led to victory for him, and a new Sheriff for Martin County.

But not everyone is on board with the new regime.

A staff restructuring has demoted at least two from the rank of major, with a pay cut for both.

Other former majors, such as Bob Pryor, simply left.

"I had the feeling that I wouldn't be needed in his new administration, so I decided to go ahead and retire," said Pryor. "I served 28 years at the Martin County Sheriff's Office. I would have liked to serve 30, but I wanted to leave on my own terms."

The new man on top, Sheriff Snyder, said these temporary administrative changes are to cut costs.

"If I determine we don't need majors, we don't need the colonel, we won't go back to that," Sheriff Snyder said. "We'll be saving quite a bit of money for taxpayers."

Former Sheriff Bob Crowder, at Snyder's swearing in ceremony, said it's common for new leaders to make changes.

"The new sheriff has to make his decisions. Some of them, I would not agree with, but it's not mine to disagree," he said. "They're good people, they served us well. But it's a new administration."

Pryor said he believes some were forced out of their positions, perhaps because they didn't support the new sheriff in his campaign.

"I felt that there were some issues that were underlying, such as 'You help me get elected, I'll help you get a better job'," said Pryor.

NewsChannel 5 asked Sheriff Snyder if there was any political motivation in his decision to eliminate the position of major. He denied it, and said cutting the rank he once held for six years was for the greater good.

"The changes I made with majors, and the position of major, had only to do with the essential role of supervision, and with the administrative needs of the agency," said Snyder.