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Kean Jr. Gives Fired Staffer big Payday

by: Jason Springer

Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 10:52:35 AM EST

UPDATE by huntsu: PoliticsNJ is reporting that they got it wrong, but we suspect that there was some outrage generated by this post and comments on PNJ.
In a correction to an earlier report, Senate Republican Executive Director John Samerjan will leave his post after the conclusion of the current legislative session. Samerjan was not rehired by the new Senate Minority Leader, Thomas Kean, Jr., and according to sources, was not offered, nor did he request, a different assignment in the Senate.
They talk a good game about ending pension padding, double dipping and the like, but give them the levers of power and the Republicans pull the same old garbage.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Kean Jr. had his first chance to make big changes and while he did make a change appointing James Harkness as the new Executive Director of the Senate Republiacn Office, he played the same pension padding games that republicans have railed on for years...

Harkness replaces John Samerjan, who had held the post under John Bennett and Leonard Lance. Kean chose not to retain Samerjan, who is expected to remain as a senior advisor until he becomes fully vested in the state public employee pension system.

That's very nice of Kean to let Samerjan get vested in the system at taxpayer expense, by holding a made up job at taxpayer expense until he's eligible to collect. Especially since Samerjan is being fired for failing at his job. Instead of giving him a pink slip, Kean is giving a little political payback which has the potential to give guy a huge payout.

Put it this way, if Samerjan gets a $25,000 per year pesion at 60 and he lives until he's 90, that would potentially be an extra $750,000 for staying on an extra month or so. That's one hell of a golden parachute on the taxpayer dime.

It appears Kean and the Republican minority are following the poor example of corporations who fire their CEO's, but give them a huge payoff at the shareholder's expense on the way out the door. The only problem is that this time those shareholder's are the taxpayers.

I think a commenter on pnj put it best...

Heaven forbid anyone attempt to pull the tick off the dog until it has completely engorged itself.

Well said.

Jason Springer :: Kean Jr. Gives Fired Staffer big Payday

Tags: pension padding, NJGOP, Tom Kean Jr, featured, (All Tags)

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Kean Jr. Gives Fired Staffer big Payday | 13 comments

A rating for your thoughts? n/t (4.00 / 5)

by: Jason Springer @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 15:54:11 PM UTC

by: you @ soon

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i wonder what leonard lance thinks? n/t (0.00 / 0)

activist for hire.

by: Jay Lassiter @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 18:51:29 PM UTC

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by: you @ soon

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Misleading Title (0.00 / 0)

Don't you think the title is a little misleading?

by: Matthew Jordan @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 16:23:48 PM UTC

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Changed, I want to focus on the issue (4.00 / 2)

I used the example of $25k per year and wasn't trying to mislead. Even if he gets another job and tacks onto his now vested pension, he will still make out alot better because he wasn't just fired, he was re-assigned until he's eligible to be vested.

by: Jason Springer @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 16:31:57 PM UTC

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by: you @ soon

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Also (4.00 / 1)

This guy wasn't elected to anything. He has been a loyal staffer and is being rewarded for that loyalty out of our pockets, which are already beyond empty.

by: Jason Springer @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 16:36:40 PM UTC

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I agree... (0.00 / 0)

With the point you're trying to make, I just thought the title was misleading.

This kind of thing happens too much on both sides of the aisle.

by: Matthew Jordan @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 16:40:52 PM UTC

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This is sickening... (4.00 / 1)

Why on god's green earth are taxpayers paying for a Senate Republican office. Shouldn't those costs be covered by the parties themselves. God forbid, what if there were 5 major parties. Would the taxpayers be on the hook for 5 offices and staff.
Kean loses all credibility with this appointment. It's Susan Bass Levin all over again. I'm sick.

"Where ever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Bonzai

by: William Weber (WjcW) @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 17:09:53 PM UTC

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It's too bad.... (4.00 / 2)

that the choice presented to NJ voters is merely which Party gets to stick its snout into the treasury.

by: Bodoc @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 17:12:36 PM UTC

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Hypocritical? (0.00 / 0)

Isn't it a bit hypocritical for Democrats to be launching ethical attacks at the Republicans? I agree, this is a BS move that hurts taxpayers, but doesn't dual office holding hurt tax payers and pad pensions too?

Democrats control all of NJ state government and the best we can do is a watered down bill that grandfathers out the practice?

My father always told me don't throw stones if you live a glass house.

by: Matthew Jordan @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 17:54:16 PM UTC

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No, it's not (4.00 / 6)

This site has slammed enough Democrats for many things exactly like this, and called for ethics reform that would outlaw this kind of thing.

We say Democrats shouldn't do this, and that Republicans shouldn't either.

This post is also about the hypocritical nature of Tom Kean Jr. running as an ethical reformer and as soon as he gets a leadership position giving someone extra days on the payroll so he can get a pension on the taxpayer dime.

You don't see anyone here at Blue Jersey pulling that stunt, but Kean Jr. did. That makes him a hypocrite, and us able to call him on it.

by: huntsu @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 18:15:45 PM UTC

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I have to agree... (0.00 / 0)

I'd like to believe the republicans would have learned something from the last 7 years of calling out democrats on ethics. But as I feared, one party appears no better than the other. Handing someone a job just to ensure they get extra benefits is abuse no matter which party is responsible. I might have been able to swallow this if Tom had kept the guy in his current position then fired him in a month to satisfy the pension requirement, and MAYBE he can redeem himself if this guy stays in the new job for a prolonged period of time. But as it is, if this guy leaves right after he's fully vested, we know this was simple, taxpayer abuse.

"Where ever you go, there you are." - Buckaroo Bonzai

by: William Weber (WjcW) @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 19:30:17 PM UTC

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Sadly, This is "Normal" in NJ.... (4.00 / 1)

....That's why Junior feels like he can get away with it....and it probably won't make headlines as a ,ajor scandal.

Both sides can comfortably hide behind the "BS" of the other and make the claim that, "hey, I'm just doing what they're doing"

The ethic that predominates (with a few occasional exceptions ;-) at this site is that ALL the essentially dishonest crap has to be cut out......by BOTH parties!

The next time Junior has to run, this instance should be used as ammunition by his opponent.

Obviously, only a pretty clean opponent could pull it off; and that's a good thing!!!

btw

I'm tellin ya, folks, NJ's rank and file citizenry is totally disgusted and pissed off about this kind of crap...all progressive Democrats have to do to win is proudly/aggressively show up.

by: Nick Lento @ Fri Jan 04, 2008 at 19:59:56 PM UTC

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