Lodi By The Numbers: Runaway Payouts

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Runaway Payouts

Heftiest Payouts = Highest Taxes

The above was taken from the article below:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-police-retirees-cash-in-while-lawmakers-stall-1.1031530?page=all

The Record newspaper showed Chief Caruso’s $342,381 retirement payout to be the heftiest around. The Lodi Mayor and Council actually paid him $46,852.68 more than he was entitled by contract.

I questioned the payout at a council meeting and the Community News reported on it:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/resident-questions-police-chief-s-payout-1.1056155

The quotes from Luna and Schrieks in the above article were easily disproven right after that meeting. Neither Luna nor the council were able to justify the payout at the meetings that followed.

Despite the fake outrage from Lodi’s mayor at the time, no reforms took place for any contracts that followed.

Chief Caruso will be receiving over $10,000 a month for the rest of his life in pension payments. It wasn’t necessary to create additional payouts that were not contractual. I have nothing personal against Chief Caruso and he is not the only borough employee with a runaway payout. I only used him as an example because the Record newspaper did many stories on his payout.

This is Lodi, New Jersey NOT Bell, California.

If elected, I will put an end to these runaway payouts.

1) Luna can no longer be the only one at the bargaining table on Lodi’s behalf.

2) You can’t have a council made up of all public employees in town deciding the payouts for other public employees in town.

3) All of the State’s “Best Practices” dealing with employee contracts (unused sick days, longevity bonuses, etc.) have to be implemented.

4) All payouts should be approved at regular meetings and explained to the public. Currently, they are snuck through in Tony Luna’s small conference room upstairs, behind the public’s back.

Some past posts on Chief Caruso’s payout: