It’s all about public pensions

By Bertram de Souza (Contact)

By Bertram de Souza

If there’s one position in government that epitomizes the Fantasy Island aspect of the public sector, it is clerk of city council.

Not to be demeaning, but the job gives paper shuffling a bad name.

And yet, it paid $67,861 in 2007 when the individual in the position, Faith O’Nesti, retired.

But that isn’t the half of it. The entry-level salary is $60,000 a year, which is what Valencia Marrow, who was hired in January, is making. If Marrow lasts six months, her salary will rise to $62,000. And after one year, it will hit the $64,000 a mark.

There are professors at Youngstown State University with doctorate degrees who aren’t making that kind of money.

Indeed, anyone who has followed politics in the area for any length of time will know that the clerk of council’s position and many others in government at all levels are nothing more than political handouts.

Why would the academically and financially troubled Youngstown City School District have a highly paid public relations director? Or, the county treasurer’s office a director of operations? (Isn’t that part of the treasurer’s job?) Or, the Youngstown Police Department a public information officer?

Want more? How about the $70,793 a year paid to Joseph McRae as park and recreation director at the time of his retirement?

Exorbitant salaries

It should be getting clear by now that government is not about service to the public, but about exorbitant salaries for employees.

More often than not, compensation has nothing to do with performance, but rather is driven by the public pension plan that is the ultimate money grab.

Last week, this writer offered the following observation in his blog “Stirfry” on Vindy.com, The Vindicator’s Web site:

“A fake college degree? What a surprise!

“Those of us in private sector employment can huff and puff all we want about public sector workers making out like bandits when it comes to their salaries and benefits, but nothing will change so long as the pension plan that now exists is calculated on the average of the three highest years of earnings. It’s little wonder that so many individuals spend so many years on the public payroll. It isn’t because they care about service to the people. It’s about the pension.

“Thus, when following the case of Carmen Conglose, the retired deputy director of public works in Youngstown city government who resigned from his recently attained part-time position as traffic coordinator, ask yourself this question: Why would government give employees a bonus for having a college degree?

“Conglose, who retired with a $60,000 pension plus health care coverage, was hired not too long ago by Mayor Jay Williams to serve as the city’s traffic coordinator on a part-time basis. His part-time salary? $42,577 a year.

“While he was the city’s public works deputy director, he received the higher ed bonus — $3,000 over 10 years. It now turns out that the 1986 bachelor of science in applied science degree is a fake.

“Conglose resigned his part-time job when confronted by Mayor Williams about the college degree and there is now an investigation.

“But the fact remains that the money he received boosted his salary. Therein lies the problem. Government has found all sorts of ways of pumping up the earnings of public employees.

“We can huff and puff all we want — nothing will change. From top to bottom, just about every person on the public payroll cares only about one thing: the pension.”

Median income

When you consider that the median household income in Mahoning County is $38,393 (it’s $21,850 in Youngstown), $42,344 in Trumbull County, and $37,791 in Columbiana County, the salaries and benefits being raked in by public employees in the region become all the more obscene.

Something needs to be done, but don’t hold your breath.

The public pension system is the brass ring — and nothing will stop public employees from grabbing it.