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The month-long fight over the state Senate ended, sort of, this week with the Democrats regaining their majority.
Despite that, Malcolm Smith lost most of his Senate leadership, and the dispute has seriously damaged the Democratic brand in NY that was so strong a couple of years ago.
And a front-page Albany Times Union story today, headlined "Elite get fat pay hikes amid Senate stalemate," shows, in one way, why.
In short, Smith handed out five-figure, retroactive raises to several of his top staff, some of whom would certainly have lost their jobs had the Republicans' June 8 coup succeeded.
Names and other details, below. |
Irene Jay Liu's story starts out like this:
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.
Examples of interestingly timed raises include:
One day after the coup, Senate Majority Deputy Secretaries Meredith Henderson and Patricia Rubens each received nearly $23,000 in raises. Both staffers received an additional raise on June 23, for a total of nearly $32,000 each, backdated to Jan. 1, 2009. Both staffers are paid $140,382.
Mortimer Lawrence, a top Smith aide and already one of the highest-paid staffers on the Senate payroll, was given a $16,000 raise on June 24 that was backdated to Jan. 2. His annual salary is now $177,231.
On June 26, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs Indira Noel received a nearly $11,000 raise that bumped her salary to $118,000. Counsel for Latino and Immigrant Affairs Lourdes Ventura received a nearly $12,000 raise, increasing her annual pay to $131,000. And Curtis Taylor, who holds the title of special adviser to the majority leader, received a $13,500, taking his annual salary to $135,000.
All this in the midst of the state's worst fiscal crisis, possibly ever.
That NY taxpayers fund scores of six-figure jobs for political operatives and/or connected types, in the Senate and elsewhere, then have to pay six figures more for raises to a dozen or so of the most-connected Senate types, is simply scandalous.
And that, along with Democratic political missteps in other matters, will hurt Democratic candidates in local elections this year, and many Democratic legislative incumbents in next year's elections.
When we will, more than ever, need to elect more AND better Democrats to the Legislature.
So, to the Senate's Democratic leadership, and other Democrats who run this state, please stop digging .
And do something good for the people of New York state. |
