‘It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere’: A Scandalous No-Show Job
As a retired employee of the Unified Court System, I’m appalled by this story (“Butt, seriously, you need a lawyer,” Aug. 25).
Someone approved David Bookstaver’s continued employment as well as his possible ongoing theft of services. This means that someone else was at fault in this case, too, so this is the tip of the iceberg.
The UCS is a relatively autonomous arm of New York state government. An ethics commission should be formed to investigate.
The saddest part is that this might give New Yorkers a jaundiced and inaccurate view of state employees, most of whom are hardworking and honest civil servants who passed qualifying exams.
Gov. Cuomo, drain the swamp. Mark Spiritus Staten Island
Bookstaver has not only taken time and money from the taxpayers, he gives hardworking and dedicated state court employees a bad name.
While other upper managers make huge salaries like Bookstaver, (who was paid over $166,000 last year), the court clerks and court officers have worked shortstaffed and without a contract for years. Mario Costanza The Bronx
In the great New York tradition, the worse you do at your job, the more you get paid.
Brookstaver sat for 18 months at a non-job and made $166,000, and his wife did the same for $116,000. Nice work if you can get it.
It would be even nicer if the state could avoid rewarding this pair with unearned taxpayer-funded pensions. If current law prevents it, pass a new one. Gerry Muir Mamaroneck
Is Bookstaver’s job so unnecessary that no one missed him during working hours or anytime?
It seems only his coworkers knew he was missing.
At the beginning of 2016, his responsibilities were taken over by Chief Judge Janet DiFiore’s chief spokesman, Lucian Chalfen, at a $140,000 salary. But Bookstaver kept his job and paycheck.
Are any of these jobs really needed? Why would a chief judge need a spokesman at those rates? Jim Grant Massapequa