A Clarkstown resident questioned town employee salaries and responsibilities after reviewing the 2013 salary schedule but did not receive any immediate answers to his questions. The 30-page schedule, approved at the December 20, 2012 town board meeting, is posted on the town web site. Tom Nimick of New City posed his questions about the rates of pay and responsibilities for various positions at last Tuesday's town board meeting.
Nimick requested an explanation of the $69.53 hourly rate of pay for a Bingo inspector and about the duties of the director of finance. He compared the Bingo inspector’s hourly wage to that of Rockland County Legislator Frank Sparaco’s $57.69 hourly salary for a part-time constituent services assistant position with the Clarkstown Highway Department. Public outcry occurred after learning Sparaco earned $75,000 for a 25-hour per week position.
“(It) also appears that the position of the director of finance, Mr. John Sullivan, at a at a salary of $114,132. Please explain how this position and office is different from the office of comptroller for which we pay $176,941,” Nimick asked. “As a matter of fact no finance department is listed in your descriptions of town offices. What does this person do?”
When his public comment period of three minutes ended, Nimick sought more time because the town had not posted the salary schedule when the town board approved it. But his requested was denied.
Supervisor Alex Gromack responded, “No, you can come back next meeting and ask more questions.”
He added that Nimick could send him the list of questions which he would he review with the town comptroller. Nimick sent that letter on February 5 requesting further information.
Community members have frequently criticized the rate of pay in the Clarkstown Police Department.
It seems like BINGO means Bs Is Now Going On and we're paying for it!!
When a citizen asks to be granted more than 3 minutes, the answer is "NO". When another citizen offers to yield their 3 minutes to Mr. Nimick, the answer is "NO, he can come back next month". When a citizen asks for an important question to be answered about Sparaco or a Bingo Inspector, the answer is "put it in writing". So now we have Legislator Sparaco for $75,000 per year ($57 per hour) for 25 hours of "work" answering the telephone and 260 Town applicants who would have worked for 1/3 of that. http://newcity.patch.com/blog_posts/the-highway-departments-doo-wop-dance A 'bingo inspector' being paid $60 per hour. The head of the Bronx GOP, Jay Savino, hired initially for $87,000 per year and given a 2% increase for next year who had no prior experience in tax cert work and all local Clarkstown tax paying firms were rejected. http://newcity.patch.com/blog_posts/the-town-that-lied
The Executive Director of the Conservative party, Ed Lettre, a person who had the whole of the Town Board attend a meeting HE called to keep himself in power in the Conservative party, earning $186,897 and supplying his party line to the Town Board. http://nanuet.patch.com/blog_posts/clarkstown-taxpayers-group-question-town-board The Town's bonded debt run up to over $100 million and another $5 million added to the debt for a walkway around a lake while $1.5 million was taken out of the schools by a 'tax to collect the school taxes'. http://newcity.patch.com/blog_posts/the-town-that-cried Nothing appears to deserve an open public discussion on these matters. Is that because Supervisor Gromack has no response that he can make that would not be met with amazement? Is it that he fears articulate citizens who ask legitimate questions about fiscally incompetent management and therefore refuses to give them the time to present important issues in public before our elected representatives? On top of this Gromack refuses to have an external audit of police overtime costs after a forced resignation of one officer for what the officer claims was a 'mistake' and the DA classified as a "misdemeanor". We live in a democracy. If a citizen wishes to yield their 3 minutes of time to a fellow citizen, as is done at the highest levels of our government, that is the citizen's prerogative, not Supervisor Gromack's!
This is simply ridiculous. Kudos to Tom for exposing these people who are wasting OUR money. Bingo inspector...really???
Shame Mr. Gromack. Stand up and be accountable when the bright citizens of our community see through your bull.
Sheila Stoller