Posted on 07/13/2009 6:51:27 AM PDT by St. Louis Conservative
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."
(Excerpt) Read more at timesunion.com ...
Public servants.
They should be paid minimum wage their work is not worthy of anymore then that
its digusting. I remember, GOP used to get kicked out for increasing pay raises, and DEM get reelected for giving themselves pay raises
Geez we could buy THIS level of incompetance for A LOT LESS!!!
Only in D.C. where reverse is forward.
This is NY - Albany.
As a NYS taxpayer, I think it is a CRIME that public servants are given raises like that in a time like THIS!
I guess INTEGRITY is a word that isn’t in their dictionary.
Dang. I wish I had been smart enough to choose “public service” as a career path. Just didn’t plan ahead.
Keep pushing the envelope.
I love NY .... but hate the politics.
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