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Legal or not, pension padding is wrong and must be stopped

I am utterly disappointed in our city government regarding the recent disclosures of ongoing pension padding by city employees, as well as attempts to justify this behavior.

The excuse we hear most often is that the practice is legal. In this case, there is a clear distinction between what is legal and what is right.

Elected officials are public servants and, by definition, are meant to act on behalf of the public. Pension padding, with benefits only to the individual and costs that will burden all of us for years to come, is not in the public interest. Moreover, it is just plain wrong.

Our city government must commit to budget transparency and implement overtime controls to limit pension padding. Our state government must address the basic issue of pension abuse.

We, the residents of Schenectady, are paying the bill, and we should be holding our elected officials accountable.

Betsy Henry

Schenectady

The writer is a member of the newly formed Alliance Party in the city of Schenectady.

http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2010/dec/08/1208_print/

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Betsy Henry

Schenectady

The writer is a member of the newly formed Alliance Party in the city of Schenectady.

I just have to mention this, the party isn't a party until it is filed with the board of elections. We're not talking about a non-partisan school board election, we are talking about a political election. The Alliance Party doesn't exist until its been filed, and I don't believe that has been done yet.

Pension padding is legal-forming an illegal contract to defraud taxpayers is not. Where is Ms Henry on the Mayor's illegal activity? We don't need more "public servants" afraid to call a spade a spade. We have enough already. The Mayor must go-his defenders must go with him.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

As for PatZ's threats .. the matter was turned over to the state police .. who will be monitoring the matter.

Gee, it's been a couple weeks already.   Pat was there in person tonight at the city council meeting.     How come the state police have not arrested her yet, DV??????  

Perhaps because there is no basis for your claim.

Don't worry, we all know that a year from now, we will still see Pat, she will not have been arrested for anything.  

Anything interesting happen at the meeting?

Quoted from mikechristine1

Gee, it's been a couple weeks already.   Pat was there in person tonight at the city council meeting.     How come the state police have not arrested her yet, DV??????  

Perhaps because there is no basis for your claim.

Don't worry, we all know that a year from now, we will still see Pat, she will not have been arrested for anything.  

I didn't say that she would be arrested.   I said I was turning the information over to the State Police ....
and if anything happens to either myself or anyone in my family or our property  ..
they will know who to look for.

ROTFLMAO.  You're just funny.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I didn't say that she would be arrested.   I said I was turning the information over to the State Police ....
and if anything happens to either myself or anyone in my family or our property  ..
they will know who to look for.

don't know what the hell you're smokin'.......but you are getting ridiculously paranoid! Get over yourself. You aren't as influential or as threatening as you think. You are good entertainment at best!
You are becoming a legend in your own mind....really!!! RELAX BUDDY!

As far as this illegal pension padding.......stratton got away with a crime by proposing a new law preventing future elected leaders to do the same! SHAM!

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Schenectady mayor rejects resolution on 'handshake deals'
Mayor feared council's proposal could expose the city to lawsuits
By Lauren Stanforth Staff Writer
Updated:07:29 a.m., Tuesday, December 28, 2010

SCHENECTADY -- Mayor Brian U. Stratton has thrown out a City Council resolution that ended all "handshake deals" with non-unionized city employees concerning their benefits, saying the move could open the city to lawsuits by challenging contracts that already exist.

Stratton sent a letter to City Council members Dec. 21 that said he was "returning this resolution for further consideration," a move that city attorney L. John Van Norden said is essentially a veto as described in the city's charter.

City Council passed the resolution Dec. 13 as a reaction to the controversy surrounding Fire Chief Robert Farstad's retirement benefits, in which Stratton agreed to give the chief up to $120,000 in overtime to make up for the fact that Farstad wasn't enrolled in a more lucrative retirement plan.

City Council President Gary McCarthy mentioned Stratton's letter at the end of Monday's meeting and said the Council will likely present the resolution again as a local law that would have more legal authority to set terms and conditions of employment.................>>>>...............>>>>...............Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Secret-deals-action-tossed-923294.php#ixzz19PUiKFz9

The Mayor pocket vetoed his great "10 point" to stop his illegal pension padding? No wonder he was AWOL at the important City Council meeting last night.

    Some good news. So many sheeple/plumbers objected to the added $60 fee to their record water and sewer bills that it was not passed. The DEMS rubber stamps said they need more time to chew on it? While every other locality is cutting services these morons want to increase City services for water line repairs. The City "expert" couldn't explain the legislation. Not one speaker supported it and it was another attempt to take business from the private sector. Growing numbers of residents upset at the total lack of City leadership and failure to take responsibility for the fiscal mess this Mayor created. Bravo to Vince Riggi and Wayne Harper who led the opposition to another taxpayer ripoff.

Remember........it's an election year. Expect the unexpected from these guy/girls who's seat will be up for grabs. (no pun intended )

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SCHENECTADY
Unwritten deals still yet to be untangled
Official: Council measure vague; at least one agreement in writing
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

    The unwritten agreements that have been promised to dozens of city employees have not been eliminated after all — and the council appears to have unknowingly approved some of those agreements in writing.
    Corporation Counsel L. John Van Norden has asked the City Council to rewrite the legislation that got rid of all unwritten agreements two weeks ago. The resolution was unconstitutionally vague, he said, and was written in such a way that it technically didn’t apply to the department managers who would collect on those agreements.
    Some managers are city “officers,” but the resolution eliminated unwritten benefi ts for city “employees.” A city officer is not, techinically, an employee, Van Norden said.
    The resolution was aimed at eliminating any unknown benefi ts, particularly the recently uncovered benefit for all assistant fi re and police chiefs, as well as the chiefs. They could get 30 days of overtime pay just before retirement without any documentation proving they had worked the extra shifts.
    The council thought it put an end to that with the ban on unwritten agreements.
    But council members didn’t realize that benefi t had found its way into at least one written contract.
    Fire Chief Robert Farstad, whose pension deal brought the entire issue to light, was promised 30 days of overtime pay in his contract as assistant chief, Van Norden said.
    It’s not clear whether the city must still give him that overtime pay — Farstad currently serves at the pleasure of the mayor, without a contract, according to the law department.
    Over the past 15 years, several city officials, including police chiefs and fire chiefs, were given 30 days of overtime pay just before retirement. The overtime pay boosted their pensions.
    Farstad’s far more generous private deal with Mayor Brian U. Stratton would have given him roughly 34 weeks of overtime pay, rather than the six weeks that his predecessor received.
    After criticism, the mayor backed off from the deal. The City Council said he had overstepped his authority and passed a resolution two weeks ago putting an end to any benefits they hadn’t approved in writing. ....................>>>>.........................>>>>...............http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00900&AppName=1

Does anyone else sense the blatant conflict of interest here?! Van Norden comes back from 80 days sick leave just in time to try to uphold the backdoor dealings of the mayor. Without these deals, VanNorden will lose his free medical coverage for life!!! WHAT! Who gets FREE medical coverage for life?!?!?

Please, you can't stick another fork in me, I'm already hemorrhaging.

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    Over the past 15 years, several city officials, including police chiefs and fire chiefs, were given 30 days of overtime pay just before retirement. The overtime pay boosted their pensions.

So has this common practice been 'common knowledge'! I mean holy crap!!! Is this all part of the union's contract?

Quoted from bumblethru

So has this common practice been 'common knowledge'! I mean holy crap!!! Is this all part of the union's contract?

It has been going on for years - Mayors of BOTH political parties have been in on it - and it isn't just
happening in Schenectady.    

Geesh - you folks need to pay attention more to what has been and is going on around you.