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SCHENECTADY
McCarthy seeks raises, expanded duties for some
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter
Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.

    A few select employees may be getting big raises to take on more responsibility as Mayor-elect Gary McCarthy reorganizes City Hall.
    He wants to give Bureau of Service Offi ce Manager Jeremy Howard a $9,827 raise to become the first contact for all callers with complaints about local government. Mc-Carthy hopes to have those calls catalogued and tracked on a spreadsheet so council members can see exactly how — and when — the situations are resolved.
    The raise would give Howard a salary of $62,780.
Councilman Carl Erikson has asked Mc-Carthy to offer a smaller raise to Howard, calling it a “big jump.”
But other council members support the raise. Councilwoman Denise Brucker said Howard would no longer be able to collect overtime — possibly saving the city money in the long run.
The council will vote on the raise next Monday at City Hall, along with other expenses McCarthy has requested.
In addition to Howard’s salary, McCarthy wants to spend $10,000 in overtime to have city employees handle the Police Department’s vehicle fl eet.
Until now, the workers who are in charge of tracking regular oil changes, tire rotations and other basic maintenance for city cars have not touched police cars. Instead, police officers are paid to take the cars in for oil changes. McCarthy said that was a waste.
    “I’m looking to have more police on the streets, having an actual impact on crime,” he said.
    He also wants to hand out $5,000 raises to two of the city’s assistant corporation counsels, bringing their salary to $75,000, and hire a third at the same salary.
    McCarthy said he needs to offer higher salaries to keep the law department staffed with attorneys. To make the point, he said Assistant Corporation Counsel Kate Mc-Guirl is leaving the city to take a position for the town of Rotterdam.
    “We lost Kate because they’re offering her more money,” McCarthy said.
    He’s hoping to hire an attorney from the District Attorney’s Office, Carl Falotico. That would leave him with one assistant counsel position left to fi ll; he promoted part-timer John Polster to corporation counsel. He saod he wants to have four full-time attorneys in the offi ce.
    Erikson said he had no objections to offering the attorneys more money.
    “Sometimes, you get what you pay for,” he said. “So I have no problem with paying a competitive salary.”
    The new costs won’t be felt immediately because the city budgeted for two positions that won’t be filled next year.
    Director of Administration John Paolino is retiring, and his responsibilities will be parceled out among existing employees. Likewise, employee Diane Marco won Rotterdam’s town clerk election, and her Schenectady position will not be fi lled.
    “They’re not being replaced,” McCarthy said. “There’s actually more savings here.”

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01201&AppName=1

They always say "we saving money doing it this way" - yet taxes keep increasing and services keep DEcreasing.

WTH?  Yall elected this bozo.

This City is bleeding financially and the solution is to give raises?

How about this...no more overtime, people do the jobs for the pay they are contracted to do and we try to start cutting corners....saving something????

McCarthy has and will continue to prove that his actions and words are for no one other than himself - here he is padding pockets of those who helped him get elected and his pension padding is a scam so McCarthy can get as much as he can as quick as he can.

McCarthy has no loyalty to the homeowners and could care less if he sends them to foreclosure and bankruptcy.

More penny wise and pound foolish. The article should have started with the Finance Department where they should be adding a business person to find savings and eliminate pork. They would more than save their salary. No long term fiscal planning everything hand to mouth. The loss of Kate McGuirl is huge. An expert in dog cases and property law. Great addition for Rotterdam. The City law department should be looking to hire a paralegal/secretary not more attorneys. Much of the caseload is routine and the problem is dealing with the public. With 3 City judges the calls are exploding and customer service is lacking.

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Likewise, employee Diane Marco won Rotterdam’s town clerk election, and her Schenectady position will not be filled.

That is because Marco's position was NEVER needed to begin with!!! It was a patronage job. So the taxpayers got fleeced any way!!!

they need a special tracker to do their jobs....???? really???? honestly???? that's what it's become?????

THEY TYRANNY......DIRTY BASTARDS