Democrats seeking changes
Rensselaer County party members irked over Mclaughlin raise
A week after the Republicancontrolled Rensselaer County Legislature gave embattled County Executive Steve Mclaughlin and other county employees raises, the Democratic minority has called for a bipartisan legislative committee to find ways to “prevent unprecedented salary increases without proper public notification and review.”
The six-member Democratic minority on the legislature announced their proposal Thursday morning, hours before Mclaughlin, a Republican, was sworn in to a second four-year term at the County Courthouse.
Mclaughlin has been indicted on felony charges of misusing campaign funds and falsifying campaign filings. Mclaughlin saw his annual salary jump $20,700 to $142,000. The state attorney general’s probe began as an investigation of his 2017 campaign for county executive.
“The 2022 County Budget was just recently unanimously adopted; there was no mention from the Republican majority that they were considering salary increases for handpicked individuals. It’s disingenuous and duplicitous to then turn around and amend this budget to include pay raises — without any public notification or review,” Minority Leader Peter Grimm, D -Troy, said in a statement.
The Democrats filed their resolution to establish the bipartisan committee Tuesday, a week before the legislature holds its reorganizational meeting on Jan. 4.
Mclaughlin wouldn’t answer a Times Union reporter’s questions after his brief speech at the end of the 75minute ceremony that saw him sworn in to office with other county, town and city Republicans who were elected in November. Mclaughlin rushed out a door in the ceremonial courtroom that’s used only for court proceedings. A man with Mclaughlin blocked the reporter from following.
Mclaughlin apparently left the courthouse through a door that’s used by courthouse employees and is closed to the public.
Richard Crist, the county director of operations and Mclaughlin spokesman, did not respond to a phone call asking for a comment about the Democrats’ proposal. Crist received a raise of $3,883, bringing his annual salary to $118,000.
The Democrats want to see salary increases for elected and appointed officials included in the proposed county budget instead of being revealed at the end-of-the year meeting as occurred at the Dec. 21 meeting. Most local governments are required to include raises in their proposed budgets. The county may have to amend the county charter or adopt a local law to put the raises into the budget proposal.
“The Democratic Minority is calling for the establishment of a bipartisan Committee to set forth proper procedures that call for salary increases to be part of the comprehensive budget process moving forward,” said Legislator Carole Weaver, D -Troy, in a statement.
Mclaughlin’s raise outraged some members of the county community, leading to a protest outside the county offices.
“There is public outcry about the sheer audacity of a salary increase for the county executive, especially after he was charged with two felonies in recent weeks by the state Attorney General’s Office,” said Legislator Mark Fleming, D Troy.