Putnam Executive Byrne's veto of raises for officials could be overridden

Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne has pulled out his veto pen to halt raises for five fellow elected officials that the County Legislature had approved in Byrne’s 2024 budget.

Byrne said striking the raises for Putnam Sheriff Kevin McConville, County Clerk Michael Bartolotti and three part-time coroners was a way to send a message to Putnam residents that county government is aware of the financial struggles in the community.

He also said it was unfair to grant raises to elected officials while the county continued to negotiate raises with unions that represent most of the Putnam County government workforce.

Each elected official was to receive a 2.75% raise — the same amount the legislators granted themselves. In his veto message, Byrne acknowledged that he lacked the power to deny raises to the legislators.

“This administration recognizes the very real financial challenges many residents face as they struggle to support their families and navigate through sky-high inflation, record-setting interest rates and overall economic uncertainty,” wrote Byrne. “Due to many of these same challenges, the cost of government has grown, and eliminating pay raises for public officials demonstrates our awareness of that hardship and helps solidify the county’s commitment to a fiscally sound budget.”

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The Legislature will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Putnam County Office Building in Carmel to consider overriding Byrne's vetoes.

The Legislature passed the raises in October with six votes, just enough votes to potentially override Byrne's veto. Opposing the raises were legislators Erin Crowley, R-Carmel, and Nancy Montgomery, D-Philipstown. Abstaining was Greg Ellner, R-Carmel.

But Legislator Bill Gouldman, R-Putnam Valley, who backed the raises, voted against them earlier in a procedural vote. Now he’s not sure how he will vote on Tuesday.

“I ended up voting for the raises because they were going to pass anyway,” he said. “Now I’m not sure what I’ll do.”

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Montgomery said she will continue to fight raises for county elected officials.

"Raises for our elected officials are simply not necessary," she said. "Candidates know in advance what their compensation will be for the length of their entire term. We need to put money back into our constituents' pockets, not into our own."

Putnam’s coroners, who serve four-year terms, are on-call to respond to reports of deceased individuals in the county — deaths from natural deaths at home or those involved in car crashes or homicides. Currently serving in those positions are Dr. Michael Nesheiwat, the county’s health commissioner, and registered nurses Wendy Erickson and John Borges, both of Carmel.

They are paid $25,000 a year. The raise would have added $688 to their annual pay.

Putnam Sheriff McConville's salary would rise from $165,816 to $170,376 while County Clerk Bartolotti’s salary would rise from $144,343 to $148,312.

Crowley, meanwhile, has notified the county’s finance commissioner that she won't accept the raise for legislators that was backed by the panel.

The raise would hike legislator pay from $44,300 to $45,518.

“I’m not at ease with accepting a pay raise given the current rate of inflation and how it directly impacts the taxpayers of Putnam County,” Crowley wrote in an Oct. 24 memo. “Please accept this notice of my refusal of said increase, and that I want my 2024 compensation to remain at the current 2023 budgeted salary.”

But Byrne said he would be open to revisiting salary increases for these five elected officials, once all union contracts are settled.

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David McKay Wilson writes about tax issues and government accountability. Follow him on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email him at dwilson3@lohud.com.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Putnam County NY legislators may override Kevin Byrne's veto of raises