By Mark Lagerkvist | New Jersey Watchdog
Double-dipping Sheriff Michael Saudino will ride again in New Jersey’s Bergen County at taxpayers’ expense.
Armed with $100,000 in campaign cash, Saudino outgunned Democratic challenger James Mordaga at the polls last week. The victory assures the sheriff of nearly $268,000 a year from public coffers – $138,000 in county salary plus $129,984 from pension as retired Emerson Township police chief – for another three-year term.
Not only that, but Saudino’s posse of four undersheriffs also are double-dippers. Together, the five officials rake in nearly $1.1 million a year – $583,000 in salaries plus $512,256 from pensions as retired cops.
“Double-dipping, to me, is a cone with two scoops of ice cream on it,” Saudino told reporters last month. “We’re not doing anything illegal. There’s not even any ethics laws on the books saying we shouldn’t be doing this.”
Overall, the election did nothing to change the reign of twin-scooping sheriffs in New Jersey.
Eighty percent of sheriffs – in 17 of 21 counties – will continue to collect millions in salaries plus retirement checks from the state’s wild, wild pension system. Eight of the sheriffs are Democrats; nine are Republicans. The practice is legal under state law, but costly for taxpayers.
Incumbent double-dippers were re-elected last week in eight other counties – Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren.
The new sheriff in Ocean County soon will join the ranks of double-dippers.
Republican Michael Mastronardy is expected to retire as Toms River police chief as he takes office as sheriff. His pension, yet to be approved by a state board, will pay him at least $122,000 a year. His salary, set by county freeholders, also will be six figures.
The late Sheriff William Polhemus – Mastronardy’s predecessor – received a $122,669 salary plus $43,272 a year from pension until his death last December. Acting Sheriff William Sommeling also has been collected a pension on top of his salary.
A New Jersey Watchdog investigation last month found 46 top county cops – 17 sheriffs and 29 undersheriffs – are double-dippers.
Collectively, they rake in $8.3 million a year – $3.4 million in retirement pay plus $4.9 million in salaries. On average, they get $181,033 a year – $107,145 in county pay and $73,888 from pension.
For New Jersey Watchdog’s list of double-dipping sheriffs and undersheriffs – minus Mastronardy – click here or visit http://newjersey.watchdog.org/files/2013/10/2013-DD-sheriffs-web.pdf.
Aren't they entitled to their pensions? Not saying I support the current pension system, but it doesn't make a difference if they collect now or when they retire from offfice.
So when's Christie gonna step up and go after his brother politicians. Not too mention phony disability pensions give to this like assemblyman Dave Rible who now runs long distance races.
This is a BS argument. The only way to make this argument make any sense would be if they took the same job with the same employer. Then and only then would it hold water. They satisfied their 1st commitment and moved on to a new job with a new employer. It's apples and oranges. New job = new income and whatever the employer offers. The benefit to the new employer is they get experienced employees who would otherwise be doing something else. If they were pumping gas is there an argument? Nope. This is no different.
Excellent article. I certainly love this website.
Continue the good work!
Mastronardy is a joke it was on his watch as police chief that Toms River became a safe haven for heroine addicts.