Elite get fat pay hikes amid Senate stalemate Democrats reward key staff with up to $32,000 while hitting GOP
By IRENE JAY LIU, Capitol bureau First published in print: Sunday, July 12, 2009
ALBANY -- Eleven of the state Senate's highest-paid staffers received raises of up to $32,000 when it appeared likely Democrats would lose control of the chamber during the five-week leadership fight.
The combined increases will cost taxpayers $200,000 annually.
Since the June 8 Senate coup, dozens of staff members from both sides of the aisle have received raises, but the elite group received raises ranging from $10,000 to $32,000 annually, state Comptroller's office records show.
The beneficiaries include top aides to Senate President Pro Tempore Malcolm Smith, D-Queens, and Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, D-Brooklyn.
Because many of the raises were backdated, staffers are paid the additional cash in a lump sum, said Jennifer Freeman, spokeswoman to state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. As a result, staffers expected fat paychecks of thousands of dollars in backdated raises at the exact time that Sampson was accusing Senate Republicans of stalling legislation in an attempt to seize the spoils of majority leadership.
Early last week -- before the return of breakaway Democrat Pedro Espada Jr. ended the struggle for control of the chamber -- Sampson held a news conference where he charged Espada and Senate Republicans "care about what I call T-triple-P -- that is titles, power, pork and patronage -- more than the New York's economy."
Nevertheless, the past month has been kind to the bank accounts of some Democratic staffers.
One day after the coup, Senate Majority Deputy Secretaries Meredith Henderson and Patricia Rubens each received nearly $23,000 in raises. Both staffers received an additional raise on June 23, for a total of nearly $32,000 each, backdated to Jan. 1, 2009. Both staffers are paid $140,382.
Mortimer Lawrence, a top Smith aide and already one of the highest-paid staffers on the Senate payroll, was given a $16,000 raise on June 24 that was backdated to Jan. 2. His annual salary is now $177,231.
On June 26, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Indira Noel received a nearly $11,000 raise that bumped her salary to $118,000. Counsel for Latino and Immigrant Affairs Lourdes Ventura received a nearly $12,000 raise, increasing her annual pay to $131,000. And Curtis Taylor, who holds the title of special adviser to the majority leader, received a $13,500, taking his annual salary to $135,000.
Lawrence was Smith's chief of staff when the Democrats were in the minority; after the November elections, he became "special counsel to the majority leader." Taylor, who was the director of minority communications, became "special adviser to the majority leader." Lawrence and Taylor are members of the Queens-based Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of Greater New York, the church led by the Rev. Floyd Flake, a former congressman and Smith's political mentor.............>>>>............>>>>............http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=819105
The Senate can give large raises to select staffers while we the people who pay for these raises are paying inflated taxes to support these useless lawmakers who can't seem to lower school and property taxes which we desperately need in order to keep businesses from leaving NYS. When these same officials reach their legal limit on the amount that they can tax us they double fees on our licenses, registration, garbage, inspection, and there are many more fees which our wonderful state has raised just to fund their welfare bloated budget.
They had to pay their 'select staffers' to not expose them for the circus they run and what really goes on...... I'd like to see what was accomplished and what was 'greased' during their little fight club......remember,,,,,,they are ALWAYS rubbing elbows and the appearing embarrasment was well choreographed for the 'new talk' of the sheeple.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
once again the repubs have ripped the people off and it is because of Espada and what they did that was outlaw a few weeks ago that cause this over there to.
Senate Democrats hire 'irresponsible' aide, give him raise Senate Democrats find job for man labeled ''irresponsible'' in report
By IRENE JAY LIU, Capitol bureau First published in print: Thursday, August 13, 2009
ALBANY -- As part of a glut of hiring and salary raises enacted since the Senate coup, the chamber's Democrats hired a former Paterson aide who was fired earlier this year after the state Inspector General called him "immature," "irresponsible" and "ill-suited" to represent the governor.
Khari Edwards was hired on July 21 as "special assistant" to Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson, pulling down an annual salary of $75,204.
Previous to his employment with the Senate, Edwards held a $70,000 job with the governor's office. Khari was dismissed after Inspector General Joseph Fisch excoriated his conduct during an investigation of former Paterson aide Carl Andrews, who resigned last December after being accused of applying improper political influence over a State Liquor Authority vote on liquor licenses.
Edwards, who was Andrews' deputy, gave contradictory evidence to the IG about his contact with an SLA commissioner, conduct that Fisch called "improper and incompatible with his duties" in a report released on Feb. 21. ..............>>>>...........>>>>.............http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=830569
Logged
So that makes this taxpayer ripoff OK? What a hypocrite. And your voting for Mary Cherry?lol.
