Lawmakers clash over raise for legislative aide

Vote follows party-line politics

By FRITZ MAYER

MONTICELLO, NY — All the lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, agreed that she is a competent and respected employee, but is her position worth an extra $5,000 per year in these tight financial times?

Republican legislator David Sager, who was elected in November 2007 as a fiscal conservative, lashed out at Democrats and their resolution to grant a raise to the position of legislative aide at a meeting of the executive committee at the government center on March 13. He said the $5,000 increase, along with an increase of another $5,000 that was approved for the position before the budget was passed in December 2007, along with other benefits, amounted to a 31 percent salary increase, which brings the salary level for the position to $46,000.

Sager also accused Democrats of taking the matter out of the personnel committee and moving it to the executive committee in order to hide it from the public. He further said with union negotiations coming up in the next few weeks, the raise sends the wrong signal to the vast majority of county workers who will not get such raises. “The issue is fairness, the issue is transparency… this is not an essential position for county government and you’re giving this person a 31 percent increase,” he said.

Legislator Ron Hiatt, a Democrat, defended the raise. He said other similar positions in county government had salaries starting in the $40Ks. He further said this was not a nine-to-five job, and requires more than those of other assistants in county government. He said the legislative aide, Alexis Eggleton, performs many duties for the county beyond aiding the nine legislators, who serve in a part-time capacity, including being heavily involved in county efforts during flooding events and helping to launch Boys and Girls Clubs in three school districts.

Hiatt said Eggleton’s activities on behalf of the county with outside organizations require large amounts of time, and “She should have gotten the 10,000 extra bucks last year.”

Lawmaker Jodi Goodman, a Republican, said she is a “huge fan of Alexis,” but she said the county has “a reputation for taking care of upper management and management people.” A committee is being set up in April to review salaries across the board. And until that happens, and inequalities are addressed, Goodman could not support the raise.

Legislator Kathy LaBuda, a Democrat, said that in November 2007 the legislators decided not to fill a secretary spot in their office, and have Eggleton pick up some of that person’s work. That saved the county a total of $50,000; therefore, the $10,000 raise was well worth the cost.

Chairman Jonathan Rouis, a Democrat, said, “The most difficult issue we have to face here is salaries. By and large, we have a dedicated workforce that’s overworked and underpaid. We always hear that a person in a comparable position in Orange County or Ulster County, or even Delaware County in many cases, makes more money than we can afford to pay here…. It’s about lives and livelihoods; it’s very difficult.”

The resolution involving the raise also included salary adjustments for five other managerial employees. Legislator Leni Binder, a Republican, admonished the Democratic majority for not managing the process in a way that could have protected the identity of the legislative aide, and said she felt bad about having to vote no on the resolution but would do so on principal.

The resolution passed five to four on a party-line vote.