Town Board Approves Raises

The Hempstead Town Board voted unanimously this morning to dish out raises to its members, along with the town supervisor and town clerk. 

Town Supervisor Kate Murray will receive a seven percent salary hike to $150,000 from $140,000. The other six members of the board will also get a seven percent bump to $66,000 each from the current $61,500.  Town Clerk Mark Bonilla's salary will increase ten percent to $106,500 from $96,500.  

A month after being swept back into office, the board approved the salary measure 6-0.  Town Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby was absent. 

"They've done their jobs," town spokesman Mike Deery said of the town officials after the vote.  "They work really hard and they deserve to be compensated fairly."

Claudia Borecky, of North Merrick, was the only town resident to speak during a public hearing on the salary increases. 

"I feel we are being duped again," Borecky told the board.  "This practice of giving yourself raises after Election Day needs to stop.  People are smart and know when they are being deceived."  

There was no discussion among the board prior to the vote, the first to authorize raises for the elected officials in two years. 

Merrick residents, when questioned around town today, expressed their opposition to the salary hikes. 

"I don't think they deserve it," Bryna Biederman said. "I don't think any of them should get raises when so many people are out of work today."

Another Merrick resident said the town should have held off on raises until the economic climate improved.

"There are people making much less than them and struggling to get by," said Elyse, who declined to give her last name.  "It isn't right.  It's things like this that make me kind of ready to say goodbye to Long Island."

Deery said that while other municipalities may be struggling, Hempstead was one of the best-managed towns anywhere. 

"The town has balanced budgets, held the line on taxes…we have the highest Wall Street credit rating, four grades above Nassau County," Deery said. 

With the raises, the salaries of town officials will remain atop those of their counterparts in North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, towns with less than half the population of Hempstead. 

The Oyster Bay Town Board approved similar compensation hikes today for its elected officials.  The Oyster Bay supervisor will make $140,000; the town clerk, $102,000; and town board members, $57,500. 

The Town of North Hempstead has no plans to raise salaries for elected officials in 2010, a town spokesperson said.  The salaries for the North Hempstead supervisor, town clerk, and town board members are $133,000, $85,000 and $40,000, respectively.