| If there’s one thing that taxpayers rarely, if ever, support, its elected officials voting themselves a pay hike. Yonkers City Councilwoman and Westchester County Clerk candidate Shanae Williams reminded democrats and progressives of a county budget deal in 2019 that raised salaries for many of Westchester County governments top employees, including County Clerk Tim Idoni, the person that Williams hopes to defeat in a democratic primary June 22. Idoni’s salary jumped from $153,000 to $195,000 after the budget agreement, which called for the County Sales tax to be increased by 1% in exchange for salary increases for members of the County Legislature, and most top county officials and their staff. County Executive George Latimer did not take the pay hike. “These pay increases were irresponsible in 2019 and are utterly unacceptable in light of the financial crunch caused by the COVID-19 pandemic immediately after they were enacted,” said Williams. “I do not understand how elected officials can look taxpayers in the eye while raising taxes and simultaneously granting themselves a massive pay raise. The last year has caused countless families and businesses in our county to struggle, and although I have heard the justification for the pay raises, I believe that public servants must be exactly that, and demonstrate leadership by making sacrifices for the public good. There is absolutely no justification for such drastic pay increases to elected officials’ salaries in a single budget cycle, and I believe that Westchester taxpayers deserve better.” The raises were approved after the Nov. 2019 election, for the 2020 County budget. The vote was taken in December 2019, four month before COVID-19 changed everything. At the time many Westchester residents, including fiscal conservatives but also progressive democrats, opposed the pay raises. ‘The proposed salary increases are over the top and insulting to the thousands of unionized employees who make Westchester County work each and every day.’ said CSEA Westchester President Karen Pecora. Another group of Westchester residents circulated a petition in an effort to overturn the pay raises. Since that vote, most taxpayers (and this reporter) had forgotten about the issue. “I am disappointed that none of our county elected officials have considered returning or scaling back these raises in light of the county’s current economic condition,” said Williams. “In the last year, the County accepted over $168 million in federal relief money while continuing to collect an increased sales tax; these pay raises are emblematic of politics as usual where taxpayers pay the price of our politicians’ greed. I believe that this pay increase was partially responsible for County Clerk Idoni’s decision to go back on his promise to not run for a fifth term, giving him an opportunity to substantially pad his already sizeable pension. Our county has many challenges to face, and the compensation of our elected officials certainly isn’t a priority: we deserve better.” In highlighting this issue, Williams is “rocking the boat” for many establishment democrats, who hold positions of power and earn a six figure salary and benefits while working in government. “I am not in the business of protecting the establishment. Westchester County deserves leadership with a desire to serve the public. As your next County Clerk, I will reject backroom politics and maintain an office that is transparent, taxpayer-friendly, and ethical.” The other question that Williams is asking while highlighting this issue is, has the democratic party in Westchester moved away from letting some earn public salaries of more than $200,000 while others are suffering dramatically during the pandemic? Has the Westchester Democratic party of 2021 become so much more progressive that it believes that the pay raises given in 2019 are “irresponsible” as Williams calls them? It’s up to Westchester democrats to decide, and until the June 22 democratic primary, Williams will not be silenced. “I am disappointed by the intimidation tactics used by the party establishment to undermine our campaign, and efforts to vilify my candidacy because I am an independent thinker. My campaign and service in government is motivated by my genuine desire to deliver meaningful change and reform to our community, not by financial gain.” |
