Posted on 12/19/2007 7:46:37 AM PST by SmithL
Oakland City Attorney John Russo boosted his $207,000 salary by $28,000 this year by giving himself management leave and vacation pay typically reserved for non-elected department heads and managers, city records show.
Elected officials such as Russo are usually paid a flat rate on the premise that as long as the voters are happy, the officials can work whatever schedule they please.
In each of the past three years, however, Russo has upped his gross pay nearly $12,000 by claiming three weeks' worth of management pay for leave days he didn't take, according to records obtained by The Chronicle under a Public Records Act request.
The records also show that Russo cashed in 149 hours' worth of vacation this year, or roughly $16,000.
Last year, he cashed in 75 hours of vacation, worth about $8,000.
City records don't reflect Russo taking any vacation in 2006 or 2007. But Russo insisted there must be an error, acknowledging that he had taken up to two weeks off during each of the past two summers to tour major-league baseball parks and historic landmarks with his two young sons.
Unelected Oakland department heads generally are entitled to three weeks or more of vacation a year but can roll over vacation time - or if unused, cash it in.
A recent city auditor's report concluded that Oakland workers and managers had been overpaid $3 million in bonuses, leaves, salary advances and cash-for-vacation over the last three years.
A few months back, while elected City Auditor Courtney Ruby was conducting her probe, City Administrator Deborah Edgerly questioned whether Ruby and Russo were entitled to the same pay perks as appointed department heads - noting that neither the mayor nor City Council members received such benefits.
An opinion issued by Russo's office, however, concluded that both Russo
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Fox guarding hen house!
This is the city that went from Mayor Jerry “Moonbeam” Brown to Mayor Ron “Where’s Waldo” Dellums? Sorry, but the people of Oakland (and I have close friends who live there) deserve what they get.
Something about voting in the government and all that...
Who is the bigger dummy here? Russo, or the clowns that voted for him?
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