SHERIFF DEFENDS DOUBLE DIPS AS OPPONENT OFFERS 25% PAY CUT
Friday, October 25, 2013
BY Mark Lagerkvist
NEW JERSEY WATCHDOG
Double-dipping is a one-two punch in the election fight for sheriff in New Jersey's Bergen County.
Sheriff Michael Saudino collects nearly $268,000 a year – $138,000 in salary plus $129,984 from pension as a retiredEmerson Township police chief.
Jabbing at his opponent, James Mordaga promised to take a 25 percent cut in salary if elected on Nov. 5. The challenger receives $75,600 a year as a Hackensack police retiree.
"There needs to be some reform," said Mordaga, a Democrat.
Republican Saudino is one of 17 county sheriffs in New Jersey that double-dip by collecting state pensions plus public salaries, a New Jersey Watchdog investigation found. The practice crosses party lines: Eight are Democrats; nine belong to the GOP.
"We're not doing anything illegal," Suadino told Chris Glorioso of NBC 4 New York, New Jersey Watchdog's partner on this report. "There's not even any ethics laws on the books saying we shouldn't be doing this. This is something for the legislators to do."
