Assemblyman Steve Englebright Spends, Taxpayers Foot the Bill

John Mitty Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Mt. Sinai, NY (October 16, 2012) – While so many Long Islanders are struggling to make ends meet, Assemblyman Steve Englebright is living high on the hog thanks to his collection of taxpayer-funded jobs.

In addition to his Stony Brook position and $79,500 part time Assembly salary plus stipends and other benefits, Englebright is one of New York’s top per diem expense collectors, spending $44,579 in taxpayer money on his personal overnight and travel expense account, according to an article in the New York Post.

The Post investigation reveals that of the 62 members in the New York State Assembly, Englebright ranks as the 8^th highest spender. The Post reports that nine of the top 10 spenders in New York State are New York City/Long Island Democrats, which raises questions about the propriety of payments to some legislators--such as whether or not they collected for hotel stays in Albany when they may not have been in the Capitol. 

“The property taxes in New York State are some of the highest in the nation, the unemployment rate is sky high, and our state has the second highest debt in the nation. The taxpayers cannot afford to give anymore, yet Steve Englebright and his Democratic City cronies feel a sense of entitlement to continuously spend taxpayer money,” said McKee. “Spending nearly $50,000 on per diem travel expenses seems out of line and Englebright needs to come clean on whether these were legitimate expenses by providing back-up.”

New York Assembly members are entitled to a $79,500 salary, plus a $165 per diem payment for an overnight stay in Albany, and $61 per diem payment for a daily trip to Albany. “A further investigation into Englebright’s per diem spending ought to be conducted, because the numbers just don’t add up. How could he have been out of district for that much time?”

New York State Legislators are the third highest paid in the nation, and according to various reports, they plan on holding a special work session after Election Day to give themselves a raise in excess of $100,000, which will make them the highest paid in the nation. Ms. McKee advocates establishment of a State Commission to review compensation of these officials.

It’s time for a change.

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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