This is what happens when one political party rule  builds an empire that they believe is now above the law and ethics.

The residents become the slaves of the government! The ruling liberal socialists have now enslaved the taxpayers of schenectady county. With no place for the taxpayers to turn. Schenectady county taxpayers are now held in bondage to the liberal socialist progressive party.

If Stratton thought illegal pension padding was acceptable....what else has been given a pass?

Rotterdam's liberal socialist progressives think that forming a taxing district for a not-for-profit 'businesses' is acceptable! What else will be given a tax paid pass with your hard earned money

Yes, schenectady county taxpayers............you have now all become slaves to the liberal socialist progressives!!

Where will you all go from here?

Quoted from GrahamBonnet

DV, stick a marshmallow to close to the fire and it ALL BURNS UP!!!!!!!  MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA

Maybe you can call the FBI on me too. How about the CIA? Or the Army!  Maybe on everyone here because we are all picking on you poor baby.

You must have a marshmallow fetish.

The rubber stamp City Council continues to investigate? What is there to investigate? They were working together to save taxpayers money-lol- First they look at every line for cuts and then nobody saw nuthin. Grab a broom and lift the rug. Mayor "For Life" said it all? What he says never makes any sense. Blame Al that worked last time.

     The first Wayne Harper looked like Vince Riggi. Note the open windows in late November. These morons can't even set a thermostat. Or pad a pension. Only in Schenectady.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

You and your "ilk" who are constantly launching personal attacks are the ones without any credibility.
And as for my future political aspirations -- I am sure I will do quite well without you.

Others lack credibility?

And what is your definition of credibility?   Credibility means something is believable, it is valid.

DV, listen, the statements I have made are totally credible.  They are credible because I have supported them with proof, proof from OFFICIAL government records.  

Now, YOU have stated that crime is going down in the city and you stated that it is from FBI statistics.  Now, explain how you are the one with credibiltiy?
1.   Just last week government records have come out stating that the crime rate is going big time high in Schenectady
2.   We only need to read the news to hear of kids getting killed in broad daylight in the neighborhoods to know how high crime is going.
3.   You claim that it's FBI stats that show crime is going down in Schenectady, however you fail to provide any proof of that via a link to the stats.

By virtue of your total failure to provide ANY OFFICIAL SUPPORTIVE DOCUMENTATION of what you say, that is proof positive that you have absolutely no credibiltiy.

Credibility is something believable.  
Tell us, how believable is it that people will buy homes in Schenectady knowing that it has nearly the highest taxes in the whole country AND buying a house here means you pay not only your own property and school taxes, but the taxes of the millionaires too!   Tell us, are YOU willing to pay the property and school taxes of the millionaires if you have a income of $30,000 and a family to support?

Tell us how believeable it is that people will buy homes in the city with a failing school system?

Tell us how you credible is it that people will move into Schenectady where kids get bullied in school?

Tell us how credible you are that people will move into a city that is cutting fire department staff with the reason that we can't afford it, but at the same time the mayor and his cronies make a deal to have the taxpayers pay OT to a manager who, by law is INELIGIBLE for overtime !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ?????????????????????

How credible is it that in a city with a record high 25% vacancy rate of EXISTING housing and a HUGE GLUT of houses for sale and DRAMATICALLY FALLING property values, that people will WANT to buy a house that will be drop in value upon purchase AND their taxes will be raised?

AGain, DV, can you answer a very intelligent, important question.  

Do you support the secret deal to illegally pay OT to a manager whose pension without the deal is already MORE THAN TWICE the total household income of the vast majority of the people who have to pay for it?

Can you please answer that?????    

Why do you refuse to answer whether you support or do not support the pension padding????????

Quoted Text

WNYT-TV
updated 11/23/2010 4:17:12 PM ET 2010-11-23T21:17:12

SCHENECTADY - Controversial overtime payments to Schenectady Fire Chief Robert Farstad are on hold as the mayor and City Council members try to decide what to do now.

Last week it was discovered Mayor Brian Stratton had agreed to allow Farstad to draw three years of overtime payments, an expected total of about $130,000.

The money was to offset a lump sum that Farstad would be due when he retired.

The overtime would pad Farstad's pension $44,000 a year for the rest of his life.

The lump sum would have added zero pension benefit.

Stratton disputes claims Council officials weren't told.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40341124

PREDICTION.........stratton will get a pass!

Sorry folks but there wasn't enough public outrage over this corrupt back room deal! The city council meeting last night should have been packed with residents carrying pitchforks in hand, demanding stratton's resignation.

The dumbing down of schenectady county has paid off for the liberal socialists.

Isn't McCarthy next in line?  I'm not sure who's worse.

Personally, I don't think Coumo will allow this to disappear - at least I hope he wont.

Quoted from 147

Isn't McCarthy next in line?  I'm not sure who's worse.

Personally, I don't think Coumo will allow this to disappear - at least I hope he wont.

Cuomo won't do a damn thing except offer lip service!!! Stratton will get a pass.

Quoted Text

Schenectady fire chief pension plan switch could cost $160G
By Lauren Stanforth Staff Writer
Published: 12:00 a.m., Tuesday, November 23, 2010

SCHENECTADY -- The city might have to pay for fire Chief Robert Farstad's miscalculated pension costs after all, this in the wake of last week's controversy that Mayor Brian U. Stratton secretly upped Farstad's overtime to make up the difference.

Stratton and various city staff members will soon meet with representatives from the state pension system to see if Farstad should have been enrolled in the same enhanced retirement system other firefighters are in -- an error that could mean the state pension system is owed an estimated $160,000.

Questions first arose after fire administrators were budgeted to receive $74,000 in overtime in 2011 at a time when 14 firefighters are losing their jobs next year due to the current fiscal crisis.

Stratton and director of administration John Paolino acknowledged last week that the overtime was meant to assist the city in paying down what they said was Farstad's single pension payout of $117,000 -- as Farstad was expected to retire in 2011. A person's yearly pension payment is calculated based on a formula that uses the highest three consecutive years of salary, and Farstad had already earned $43,000 in overtime this year in addition to his $106,000 a year salary.

Stratton says despite the extra overtime, Farstad's annual payments would have still been $8,000 less a year because he wasn't enrolled in the 384-E enhanced retirement system.

Some City Council members said they weren't aware such a deal was struck, and Stratton moved quickly last week to halt Farstad's overtime payments.

The mayor held a press conference Friday to explain Farstad's overtime, saying when Farstad took a leave of absence in 1998 he should have been enrolled in the more lucrative pension. Despite City Council's past objections to have Farstad enrolled retroactively, Stratton said he allowed Farstad the overtime to make up the difference, a maximum $126,000 in overtime over two years, according to the 2010 and 2011 city budgets. It was at the press conference that Stratton said Farstad would have been owed $160,000 under the 384-E retirement.

An executive session was held before the City Council meeting Monday night that included Farstad, Paolino, Stratton and members of the city's legal staff. City Council President Gary McCarthy said there was no legislative action taken after the session.

Stratton said he doesn't know when he'll meet with the state, but he believes Farstad is entitled to the money -- even though Farstad worked for the Scotia Fire Department during his leave of absence 12 years ago...................>>>>...............................>>>>................http://www.timesunion.com/ytschenectady/

Quoted Text

Schenectady let other chiefs pad pensions
Six weeks of OT was unwritten rule for managers
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
By Kathleen Moore (Contact)
Gazette Reporter

SCHENECTADY — Fire Chief Robert Farstad is not the only one to enhance his pension through unapproved overtime.
Through the investigation of Farstad’s pension deal, City Council members have learned that many of Schenectady’s police and fire chiefs — including assistant chiefs — have routinely increased their pensions through unapproved overtime just before retirement.
“We’ve paid overtime to other chiefs. And I don’t think that was correct,” council President Gary McCarthy said.
They apparently followed an unwritten rule that says they can receive six weeks of overtime pay in their final year, even though they are not eligible for overtime because they are salaried members of management.
By comparison, Farstad was to get about 34 weeks of overtime; he had requested pay for the first 14 weeks when the deal was discovered.
Director of Administration John Paolino confirmed that every chief receives six weeks of overtime pay in their last year on the job. The practice increases their pension by thousands of dollars.
Council members want to put an end to the practice, which they call pension padding. They plan to set new rules before the end of the year that would lay out precisely what benefits every city manager can earn.
The pension deal dates back more than a decade. Farstad’s predecessor, Fire Chief Thomas A. Varno, got the overtime. So did many police chiefs, including Chief Michael Moffett, who retired in 1996, McCarthy said.
“It goes back farther than that,” he said.
And it was never approved by the City Council.................>>>>...................>>>>..................http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2010/nov/24/1124_chiefs/

The screwing of the Schenectady Taxpayers continues

It's not illegal because everybody is doing it? Give us a break. The insane defenses continue from the DEMS and their running dogs at the Gazetto. Is there one City Council person standing up for the oppressed City taxpayers and against illegal overtime padding?

     Someone on the other side of the rail needs to get hot under the collar. A bunch of DEM lobs and apologists for public fraud. Beyond total fiscal incompetence, beyond militant indifference to the taxpayer, a growing conspiracy to defraud STATE taxpayers. One party DEM rule has destroyed Schenectady.

Public/government pensions unfairly rest solely on the taxpayer's back. The public pension system is overseen by a government bureaucracy that is also reaping this tax paid benefit.

The pension padding abuse in schenectady is done every day!! All blame rests solely on the government who negotiates these lucrative unsustainable pension packages. It is your elected officials that create then complain about the pension system.

Is it the government's role to provide not only jobs, but lucrative retirement benefit packages? If these government pension packages must continue to exist, they need to be scaled down. But don't hold your breath that will happen too soon since your government officials who write and implement these public pension laws are beneficiaries of the same system.