State pension abuse issue draws legislation
May 7, 2008
As Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli continue their crackdowns on alleged abuses of the state pension system, lawmakers are starting to take action with proposed legislation.
The bills come in the wake of recent media reports of school lawyers and other educational administrators accruing benefits from the state pension system they may not have been entitled to.
For example, two Long Island lawmakers — Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, D-Lindenhurst, and Sen. Owen Johnson, R-West Babylon — are offering a bill that would prevent double dipping. Under the proposal, some retired public employees’ pensions would be suspended if they return to a similar job and if their pensions are similar to their new salaries.
The bill is working its way through the Senate and Assembly.
While the bill was submitted earlier this session, it gained some prominence this week after Newsday published a story about a Long Island school superintendent who retired in 2006 with a $316,000 pension, the largest in the state. He then returned to work running another school system for an additional $200,000 — generating a $500,000 income.
Not everyone agrees double dipping should be disallowed.
“It’s not really that common for superintendents to retire and then collect a pension and then become a permanent superintendent,” said Bob Lowry, deputy director at the New York State Council of School Superintendents, an advocacy and research group for the state’s public school chiefs.
More common, Lowry said, is the practice of retired superintendents returning to work until a permanent school leader is found.
Lowry also said schools could save money by hiring retirees since districts don’t have to make more pension contributions. Retirees’ health care is also often covered by prior employers.
The public’s awareness of pension abuse was raised in recent months with revelations lawyers on Long Island and upstate have been listed as school district employees and also of the Johnstown-based Hamilton Fulton Montgomery BOCES organizations. Cuomo and DiNapoli say the lawyers are independent contractors and not eligible for pension credits.
The arrangement has also sparked legislation by Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, D-Long Beach, and Sen. Dean Skelos, R-Rockville Centre, to prohibit BOCES contractors from being compensated as employees.
Source: Times Union
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Anonymous Complaint Filed against Anthony ComoA complaint filed against a Republican running to replace scandal-scarred ex-Councilman Dennis Gallagher claims the candidate used his position as a Board of Elections Commissioner to get campaign donations and gifts from subordinates.
The anonymous complaint, filed with four city agencies - including the Conflicts of Interest Board and the Campaign Finance Board - alleges that Anthony Como abused his position as a Queens Republican Elections Commissioner.
Como - who is the Queens County GOP committee’s choice to win the June 3 special election - strongly denied the allegations.
“Mr. Como has flagrantly violated the law multiple times,” reads the complaint, which was obtained by The Post. “He . . . has solicited and accepted contributions from many Board of Elections employees [subordinates] over whom he had direct control and authority.”
Filings with the CFB show Como took eight donations from board employees in late March and early April.
The complaint also claims Como took gifts from board employees for his wedding, including a trip for himself and his wife worth more than $1,000, even though most of the subordinates invited to his wedding “had no prior or personal relationship with” him.
COIB rules prohibit officials from asking subordinates to donate to campaigns.
Como called the allegations “bulls- - - ” and said he never asked his workers for anything. He said the one trip he’s ever been on with his wife “was my honeymoon,” and that no employees paid for it.
He initially said he couldn’t have taken donations from board employees because he resigned his position on April 18, when the special election was called, and didn’t form his committee until then.
He later acknowledged the campaign account was opened earlier, but said he had held one campaign kickoff event and didn’t solicit donations for it.
He called the allegations “absolutely atrocious and disgusting” and said he and his wife were owed apologies.
Gallagher, who represented Middle Village, resigned his seat last month as part of a plea deal in which he admitted to misdemeanor sex-abuse charges with no jail time in a case that began with a rape allegation from a woman he met at a local bar last year.
Gallagher, a Republican, told The Post recently that he thought he could have been cleared.
“I believe that had this gone to trial, I would have been vindicated,” Gallagher said.
Source: NY Post
More News from NY Politics
- Bruno picks Nigro for seat on NYRA - May 15th, 2008
- Paterson holds off distributing millions in pork-barrel spending - May 15th, 2008
- Richard Hanna to run for Congress - May 15th, 2008
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Anonymous Complaint Filed against Anthony ComoA complaint filed against a Republican running to replace scandal-scarred ex-Councilman Dennis Gallagher claims the candidate used his position as a Board of Elections Commissioner to get campaign donations and gifts from subordinates.
The anonymous complaint, filed with four city agencies - including the Conflicts of Interest Board and the Campaign Finance Board - alleges that Anthony Como abused his position as a Queens Republican Elections Commissioner.
Como - who is the Queens County GOP committee’s choice to win the June 3 special election - strongly denied the allegations.
“Mr. Como has flagrantly violated the law multiple times,” reads the complaint, which was obtained by The Post. “He . . . has solicited and accepted contributions from many Board of Elections employees [subordinates] over whom he had direct control and authority.”
Filings with the CFB show Como took eight donations from board employees in late March and early April.
The complaint also claims Como took gifts from board employees for his wedding, including a trip for himself and his wife worth more than $1,000, even though most of the subordinates invited to his wedding “had no prior or personal relationship with” him.
COIB rules prohibit officials from asking subordinates to donate to campaigns.
Como called the allegations “bulls- - - ” and said he never asked his workers for anything. He said the one trip he’s ever been on with his wife “was my honeymoon,” and that no employees paid for it.
He initially said he couldn’t have taken donations from board employees because he resigned his position on April 18, when the special election was called, and didn’t form his committee until then.
He later acknowledged the campaign account was opened earlier, but said he had held one campaign kickoff event and didn’t solicit donations for it.
He called the allegations “absolutely atrocious and disgusting” and said he and his wife were owed apologies.
Gallagher, who represented Middle Village, resigned his seat last month as part of a plea deal in which he admitted to misdemeanor sex-abuse charges with no jail time in a case that began with a rape allegation from a woman he met at a local bar last year.
Gallagher, a Republican, told The Post recently that he thought he could have been cleared.
“I believe that had this gone to trial, I would have been vindicated,” Gallagher said.
Source: NY Post
More News from NY Politics
- Bruno picks Nigro for seat on NYRA - May 15th, 2008
- Paterson holds off distributing millions in pork-barrel spending - May 15th, 2008
- Richard Hanna to run for Congress - May 15th, 2008
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