Nassau GOP gives leaders a raise

By Michael Orbach

Issue of January 29 2010/ 14 Shvat 5770

A bill passed by the Nassau County Legislature on Monday that gave legislative leaders significant raises has the Republican majority on the defensive.

Democrats vigorously opposed the bill, which passed along party lines. It increased the salaries of Presiding Officer Peter Schmitt; his deputy, John Ciotti; and Minority Leader Diane Yatauro. Schmitt’s total compensation would go from $67,500 to $99,500, Ciotti’s from $62,500 to $84,500, and Yatauro’s from $63,500 to $90,500.

Yatauro voted against the measure and pledged to donate her extra salary to charity. Democrats accused the Republicans of sneaking the bill onto the agenda, a charge that Schmitt denied.

Republican Legislator Howard Kopel of the Five Towns defended the bill, explaining that salaries for Nassau County legislators are below those of their counterparts in Suffolk County and Westchester.

“In my view some people might question timing, but it’s entirely justified; ridiculously justified,” he said.

The new salaries would place Nassau lawmakers in between their counterparts in the other two counties, Kopel explained, and the increases would come from the legislative budget and not from new taxes. Asked whether the pay hike represents a reversal of Republican campaign promises to cut expenses, Kopel stressed that there were some fixed costs.

“Maintenance needs to go up. It’s like a car, if you don’t spend money on an oil change you may have to buy a new engine. So some things will go up. Many things will go down.”

Democrats called the move irresponsible,

“It’s the Nassau County Republican way,” said Legislator David Denenberg of Merrick, a Democrat, “to campaign saying ‘cut, cut, cut,’ and the first thing they do once they’re elected is spend, spend, spend; spend on their own pay raises.”

Schmitt defended the move saying that the stipend for Nassau County Legislative Leaders has not been increased since 1996. And he pointed out that similar attempts had been made under Democratic leadership as recently as 2007. He called the Democrats “ethical hypocrites.”

“All I did was what former Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs tried to do three times. I didn’t see Democratic Legislators holding press conferences against her, the three attempts she made to raise Legislative pay,” he said.

Additional reporting by Matt Hampton