The Rockland County Legislature snuck in a huge raise for C. Scott Vanderhoef while we weren’t looking, giving the County Executive, who has mismanaged the finances of Rockland over the past three years. Vanderhoef’s total salary will increase to $152,046 at the start of the year and to $155,087 midyear, a whopping $17,322 increase over his current pay. But does he deserve this, raise? And how was he able to sneak away with a 12.5 percent raise when the media reported the raise would be a mere 4 percent?
If a corporation underperforms, the board of directors would hold back raises and bonuses for its executives. I don’t know why that concept isn’t applied to our County Executive as well.
Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef will see a $17,322 raise in 2010 after a 12-5 vote Tuesday by the county Legislature to retroactively increase his pay.
It appeared Monday that Vanderhoef could receive a $5,500 raise, a 4 percent increase to his current $137,765 salary, which has remained unchanged since 2007.
Legislators voted to grant that 4 percent increase, but they also voted to grant Vanderhoef retroactive pay increases of about 2 percent every six months since Jan. 1, 2008.
Legislators Joseph Meyers, D-Airmont; Frank Sparaco, R-Valley Cottage; Alden Wolfe, D-Suffern; Michael Grant, D-Garnerville; and Jacques Michel, D-Spring Valley; voted against the increases.
And it’s not just the raise that stinks to high heaven. The whole process of giving Vanderhoef a raise was compromised. Read below:
The motion to increase Vanderhoef’s pay was not brought up in a committee meeting, where deeper discussion could have taken place, but was instead included on the agenda of the last full regular Legislature meeting for 2009.
“It’s not about the money,” Grant said. “It’s about the process … I don’t want to appear to be a co-conspirator, (as) having done something after the fact. After the election is over, when no one’s looking, when the holidays are over or right in the midst of the holidays, and just contribute to a lack of trust in government.”
Mr. Grant is right. The process of granting Vanderhoef a raise lacked transparency and wasn’t handled poorly by the legislature. To the outside observer, it appears that this raise was a favor, ram-rodded by Ilan Schoenberger so it would not undergo a proper review. I am now wondering what favor Schoenberger will be getting in return.
[...] risen, services have been cut, and County salaries have been frozen, Vanderhoef had the nerve to ram through a 12.5 percent salary increase for himself in [...]
[...] risen, services have been cut, and County salaries have been frozen, Vanderhoef had the nerve to ram through a 12.5 percent salary increase for himself in [...]
[...] Scott Vanderhoef, his State Senate opponent’s recent actions. As County Executive, Vanderhoef campaigned for and got a raise of 12.5 percent just 10 months ago soon after his reelection. He did this while county employees and taxpayers were [...]