Liar Liar 99
06-23-2005, 03:29 PM
The following article claims to put the nepotism accusation about these two to rest. It states that Klein says Magwood is not his brother in law.
LI Press asked Klein the wrong question.
Magwood has claimed to many parks employees that he is related to Klein through marriage. Not necessarily a brother in law.
Klein perverts the truth as usual and puts it to rest.
Well, either Magwood was lying to many employees or Klein is lying to LI Press based on a poorly worded question by LI Press.
In any case the crooks are mounting
Klein
Shomwa
Cataldo
McKinney
next Sharon?
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Suozzi Watch
Two Guys On An Iceberg
Christopher Twarowski 06/23/2005 12:01 am
The Nassau County administration is under fire for hiring two Manhattan residents as clerks, labeling them "seasonal" employees, and paying them exorbitant hourly rates.
It may be outrageous, but it's not uncommon. Anyone in county government can tell you that many Nassau employees work "out of title." In union parlance, that usually means low-level employees taking on responsibilities more difficult than their titles (and salaries) indicate.
"It's a major problem," says Jerry Laricchiuta, president-elect of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 830, Nassau's largest union. "A lot of times, you either have people that aren't qualified to do the work, or people doing more than one job, being overloaded with work."
But cases like the two parks department hires that caused a ruckus this week show that "out of title" can mean rank (and pay) more exalted than the actual work calls for—sometimes even the type of no-show patronage job the mafia is known for. For two years, Charles McKinney earned $65 per hour, and Shomwa Shamapande earned $25 per hour, in Nassau parks department positions which normally pay $12 per hour.
"It sounds to me like a political appointment," says Laricchiuta. "They're probably doing work that we're supposed to be doing, at a much higher rate of pay than our guys make... Obviously the taxpayer is paying the cost."
Working out of title is a much larger problem than County Executive Thomas Suozzi's out-of-county recruitment of expensive public officials, although not quite as sexy. Earlier this month, Nassau's Republican legislators issued a press release listing the names and salaries of 33 Nassau department leaders by the county elsewhere, even though they live outside the county, since 2002. Their salaries range from $57,750 at the low end to $150,758 for Dr. David Ackman, Commissioner of Health, who commutes from Brooklyn. But the beleaguered Parks Dept. invites special scrutiny.
"Since we began inquiry into high-priced seasonal employees who reside outside the county, we have found not only the two that have been identified in today's reports, but others who have been brought in by [Deputy County Executive Michael] Klein at similar rates," says Minority Leader Peter J. Schmitt. "The recent passage of the whistleblower law has produced a great number of telephone calls to my office, claiming irregularities, forged time sheets, no-show employees and other abuses within the parks."
GOP leaders are calling for the resignation of Klein, who lives in Manhattan and earns $131,250 for overseeing Nassau's parks. They say Klein, as parks director, was responsible for both McKinney and Shamapande. Contacted by the Press at home, Klein refused to comment on the Republicans' charges or calls for his ouster. Klein did address a longstanding rumor within the county, however, when he said that he is not the brother-in-law of Reginald Magwood, one of the 33 department heads named by the Republicans as hired from outside Nassau County, with a $88,493 salary.
If the heat gets too intense, Klein and Magwood just might find brotherhood on the unemployment line.
GOP Legislators Norma Gonsalves and Peter Schmitt call for resignations.
NEWS
The Suozzi Administration is under criminal investigation for a host of allegations, including illegal fundraising; (above) Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi.
Patrick Kelton
James J. Messerschmidt
LI Press asked Klein the wrong question.
Magwood has claimed to many parks employees that he is related to Klein through marriage. Not necessarily a brother in law.
Klein perverts the truth as usual and puts it to rest.
Well, either Magwood was lying to many employees or Klein is lying to LI Press based on a poorly worded question by LI Press.
In any case the crooks are mounting
Klein
Shomwa
Cataldo
McKinney
next Sharon?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Suozzi Watch
Two Guys On An Iceberg
Christopher Twarowski 06/23/2005 12:01 am
The Nassau County administration is under fire for hiring two Manhattan residents as clerks, labeling them "seasonal" employees, and paying them exorbitant hourly rates.
It may be outrageous, but it's not uncommon. Anyone in county government can tell you that many Nassau employees work "out of title." In union parlance, that usually means low-level employees taking on responsibilities more difficult than their titles (and salaries) indicate.
"It's a major problem," says Jerry Laricchiuta, president-elect of Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) Local 830, Nassau's largest union. "A lot of times, you either have people that aren't qualified to do the work, or people doing more than one job, being overloaded with work."
But cases like the two parks department hires that caused a ruckus this week show that "out of title" can mean rank (and pay) more exalted than the actual work calls for—sometimes even the type of no-show patronage job the mafia is known for. For two years, Charles McKinney earned $65 per hour, and Shomwa Shamapande earned $25 per hour, in Nassau parks department positions which normally pay $12 per hour.
"It sounds to me like a political appointment," says Laricchiuta. "They're probably doing work that we're supposed to be doing, at a much higher rate of pay than our guys make... Obviously the taxpayer is paying the cost."
Working out of title is a much larger problem than County Executive Thomas Suozzi's out-of-county recruitment of expensive public officials, although not quite as sexy. Earlier this month, Nassau's Republican legislators issued a press release listing the names and salaries of 33 Nassau department leaders by the county elsewhere, even though they live outside the county, since 2002. Their salaries range from $57,750 at the low end to $150,758 for Dr. David Ackman, Commissioner of Health, who commutes from Brooklyn. But the beleaguered Parks Dept. invites special scrutiny.
"Since we began inquiry into high-priced seasonal employees who reside outside the county, we have found not only the two that have been identified in today's reports, but others who have been brought in by [Deputy County Executive Michael] Klein at similar rates," says Minority Leader Peter J. Schmitt. "The recent passage of the whistleblower law has produced a great number of telephone calls to my office, claiming irregularities, forged time sheets, no-show employees and other abuses within the parks."
GOP leaders are calling for the resignation of Klein, who lives in Manhattan and earns $131,250 for overseeing Nassau's parks. They say Klein, as parks director, was responsible for both McKinney and Shamapande. Contacted by the Press at home, Klein refused to comment on the Republicans' charges or calls for his ouster. Klein did address a longstanding rumor within the county, however, when he said that he is not the brother-in-law of Reginald Magwood, one of the 33 department heads named by the Republicans as hired from outside Nassau County, with a $88,493 salary.
If the heat gets too intense, Klein and Magwood just might find brotherhood on the unemployment line.
GOP Legislators Norma Gonsalves and Peter Schmitt call for resignations.
NEWS
The Suozzi Administration is under criminal investigation for a host of allegations, including illegal fundraising; (above) Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi.
Patrick Kelton
James J. Messerschmidt