Westchester legislators weigh hefty pay raises

By JORGE FITZ-GIBBON  THE JOURNAL NEWS  (Original Publication: December 16, 2007)

WHITE PLAINS - Westchester County legislators are due tomorrow to decide whether to increase stipends for board leaders by thousands of dollars, one week after putting off the controversial measure amid growing criticism. The move, to be considered at a 2 p.m. meeting of the 17-member county board, calls for hefty increases in compensation for legislators who are committee chairmen or hold board leadership posts.

Central to the move is an 87 percent increase in the stipend paid to board Chairman William Ryan, D-White Plains, with a raise from $40,000 to $75,000. The proposal would not affect legislators' base salary of $49,200, but would bring Ryan's total pay to nearly $125,000.
Ryan did not return a call for comment Friday.  

Also on tap for legislators tomorrow is a proposal from Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano for 3 percent raises for county commissioners and department heads.

The measure includes a proposal for similar raises for Spano and County Clerk Tim Idoni, D-New Rochelle. The raises for Spano and Idoni would not take effect until 2010.
It remains uncertain whether a vote will be taken tomorrow, whether it will be delayed or whether the measure will be scrapped altogether.
"There'll be discussion," said Legislator Michael Kaplowitz, D-Somers, chairman of the board's Budget and Appropriations Committee. "I can't predict what the outcome will be on either or both of the items. But I know there'll be a chance to have some healthy discussions on it."

Both proposals were to be voted on last Monday, when the board approved the county's $1.77 billion budget for next year. But the controversy surrounding the raises and the board's compensation package prompted a move to put off a decision for one week, allowing more discussion and additional public input.

The Westchester League of Women Voters, which has long opposed hefty stipends for the board, has leveled a barrage of criticism at the move. The Westchester County Association and county GOP leaders also joined the fray, denouncing the measure.

On Friday, the county board's Republican minority issued a statement denouncing the stipend increases, Spano's proposed raises and the county budget in general as examples of "an increase in the county bureaucracy."

Ryan defended the proposed increases in a recent interview with The Journal News, saying the measures were warranted given the increasing complexity of the board's job and the growing time demands for legislators.

In addition to Ryan's compensation increase, the move calls for an increase in the stipends paid to the board's vice chairman and majority and minority leaders and whips, and an increase in the top stipend for committee chairmanships, from $6,000 to $7,000.  (16.7% increases)

The leaders of the board's budget and legislative committees would see increased stipends of $15,000, up from $12,000. (25% increases)