Scott Brown
Buffalo, N.Y. – A combination of a change in state law, and a policy by County Executive Mark Poloncarz should cut down on the practice of top county appointees collecting a retirement pension and a county salary at the same time.
One of the most egregious examples of so-called “double dipping” concerned longtime former county employee Sheila Kee.
Kee retired from the county with a pension of about $99,000 a year and was then hired by the state health department to run Sheehan Hospital at a salary of $143,000, meaning she was making a total of a $242,000 a year.
Under state civil service law, someone must be granted a special waiver in order to be able to collect more than $30,000 a year of their pension while at the same time returning to work and receiving a government paycheck from either the city, county, or state.
Back in 2008, state civil service law was tightened and so now before a waiver can be granted, “A formal recruitment effort must be conducted to determine that there are no other qualified non-retirees available for a specific job. If recruitments efforts are fruitless … the government must provide a detailed explanation as to why.”
Peter Anderson, Poloncarz’s spokesman, says Poloncarz doesn’t plan to apply for a pension waiver for any of his appointees.
“The county executive knows that waivers are bad for taxpayers,” said Anderson.
Poloncarz has yet to appoint his Commissioner of Central Police Services.
Typically the job goes to a retired member of law enforcement.
But Anderson says whoever Poloncarz appoints to the job will not be permitted to collect their police pension while working for the county at the same time.
There is one member of Poloncarz’s staff who will receive his full retirement pension while working and that’s Public Works Commissioner John Loffredo, but it’s not because Loffredo will be granted a waiver.
Loffredo is 76 years old and under state law anyone older than 65 is entitled to their full pension without a waiver.
Because of that, Loffredo will receive his pension of $64,000 a year and his salary of $118,000 a year for total compensation of $182,000 a year.
Scott Brown: “For the remaining positions, will any waivers be granted?”
Peter Anderson: “It is not the county executive’s intention to grant any waivers, but that being said, he certainly wants the best people in those positions.”
Scott Brown: “So is there a chance that some people may be granted a waiver?”
Peter Anderson: “I would never say never, but that is not the plan going in, no.”
http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/152165/37/Poloncarz-Promises-To-Cut-Down-On-Double-Dipping