Nantucket sheriff has $7M in reserve

NANTUCKET, Mass., March 9 (UPI) -- The Massachusetts governor is trying to get control of the Nantucket sheriff's $7 million reserve fund.

Sheriff Richard Bretschneider, like other sheriffs in the state, gets the money from deeds excise taxes, which kick in when real estate changes hands, The Cape Cod Times reported.

Nantucket Island, a town, a county and a summer playground of the rich, has the state's most expensive real estate, providing Bretschneider with a good source of revenue. With no jail and only four employees in the sheriff's office, including the boss, expenses are low.

Bretschneider has been generous, buying bicycle helmets for Nantucket children, sending two local cheerleaders to a competition in Florida and contributing to other worthy causes. The sheriff's office also pays $150,000 to house Nantucket prisoners in the Barnstable County Jail.

Gov. Deval Patrick wants the state to take over fiscal management of county sheriffs. That rankles some locals.

"For a lot of people, it's gone from being a little ticked off at Richard for not spending the money in the community to being ticked off at the governor," said Grant Sanders, a founder of YACK, a Nantucket-based online forum.