‘Backdoor’ Flanagan dough for senators

ALBANY — State Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan’s decision to dole out questionable stipends to seven state senators was the result of various competing interests, insiders say.

Three members of a renegade group of Senate Dems and four GOP senators were paid thousands of dollars in stipends known as “lulus” this year even though they didn’t head any of the committees that payroll records said they did.

Senate sources said a lack of agreement in December on the first legislative pay raise since 1999; an attempt to keep eight breakaway Democrats aligned with the GOP in a leadership coalition happy, and Flanagan’s desire to appease a number of his own upstate Republican members who feel the Independent Democratic Conference, or IDC, were given too much influence and perks, all played a part in the unusual payouts.

“It’s a combination of all of it,” said one GOP senator. “He’s trying to get some more money in the members’ pockets in a backdoor way.”

Every IDC member for the past several years received lulus, including three who served as vice chairmen — positions that under the law are not assigned stipends. But this year, Flanagan (photo inset) began for the first time doling out lulus that went unclaimed by GOP committee chairmen — who received higher payouts for serving in conference leadership posts — to four Republicans he appointed as committee vice chairmen. For instance, rather than take the $12,500 he is due for heading the Crime and Correction Committee, Sen. Patrick Gallivan, an Erie County Republican who was also appointed by Flanagan as vice chairman of the Education Committee, received the $18,000 chairman’s stipend for that committee.

And Sens. Thomas O’Mara (R-Chemung County), who was appointed by Flanagan as vice chairman of the Transportation Committee, and Patty Ritchie, a St. Lawrence County Republican who was named deputy vice chairwoman of the Health Committee, each were given the higher $15,000 chairmen stipends rather than taking the $12,500 they were both due for heading the Environmental Conservation and Agriculture committees, respectively.

Two government reform groups have called for an investigation. One, Reclaim New York, called the move “fraud.” A Senate GOP counsel released an opinion Saturday night arguing the stipend payments and filings met all legal requirements.

Sen. Jeffrey Klein, the Bronx Dem who heads the IDC, told the Daily News on Sunday that “my members continue to conduct themselves with integrity and by always following the letter of the law.”

Meanwhile, state Controller Thomas DiNapoli has drawn heat from some insiders for approving the questionable stipend payments to the seven senators without raising questions.

One insider scoffed that the situation hurts DiNapoli’s push for the reinstatement of his power to review state economic development contracts before they are awarded.

“It does not bolster his argument at all,” said one source.

But DiNapoli spokeswoman Jennifer Freeman said “payroll payments are unrelated to contract review.”