Assemblywoman Joan Millman Admits to DOUBLE-DIPPING:
Collects Two Government Paychecks at the Same Time
Then Lied in a Debate about Having No Alternative
At a debate held last week by the Brooklyn Paper, Assemblywoman Joan Millman admitted that she collects two taxpayer-funded paychecks: A six-figure salary (when lulus and perks are added in) for her position in the Legislature, and a government pension whose amount is unknown because Millman failed to list the amount on her state financial fillings even though she is legally required to do so. Millman's Financial Report can be viewed at
http://www.nypirg.org/goodgov/LECF_09/assembly/Millman.pdf
A video of the Brooklyn Paper debate in which challenger Doug Biviano gets Millman to admit that she is double dipping is available on YouTube
http://bivforbrooklyn.com/blog/122-double-dipping-joan-millman
At that debate, Millman lied when she reported that she could not defer her pension. Not so, the online editions of the Brooklyn Paper and New York Post reported yesterday: “Actually, you can (defer your pension). According to the Teachers Retirement System website, educators can voluntarily suspend their retirement allowance by filing a ‘Retirement Allowance Suspension / Resumption Form.’”
Newspaper editorials are abound, saying that this practice of collecting both a government paycheck and a pension is what is helping to drive the State's pension costs out of control. They point to Double-Dipping as Exhibit A for why government pension costs have skyrocketed in recent years. The NY Post editorial last week said, "Why is Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg getting paid twice for the same job? Because he can! The pension system is what's driving the deficit in Albany. It's unsustainable. To see elected officials abusing it makes it even worse."
“As I go campaigning around the district, I’m seeing that everywhere people are frightened that their pension fund may go broke,” said Biviano. “It is the height of insensitivity that Assemblywoman Joan Millman is receiving two government paychecks at a time when services are being cut and taxes are being raised for the rest of us.”
For the MTA cuts, the NY Daily News called Millman a scoundrel and a train robber on three occasions: One, Two and Three.
“Last month showed Millman's total hypocrisy and lack of leadership when she voted to balance the state budget by borrowing from the state pension fund at unachievable payback rates,” said Biviano. “Not only is Millman double-dipping the pension fund, she is voting recklessly and endangering its future.”
State Comptroller DiNapoli revealed plans last week to slash the state pension fund's growth forecast for the first time in a decade, amid growing concerns about exploding retirement costs. Attorney General Cuomo has investigated pension fund double-dipping and has urged the Legislature to restrict the process. The AG's investigation, along with probes by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, "heightened awareness and sensitivity" to double-dipping, which "raises questions, and causes a problem" for (AG candidate) Rice, said the NY Daily News.
Public Interest Group legislative director Brair Horner said, “I think New Yorkers are just flummoxed that some of their legislators can return to office and collect a pension at the same time."
What is even more outrageous is that Millman may be poised to become a triple-dipper — and it's all legal. When she turns 75 she can begin collecting her Assembly pension also.
Millman and her fellow elected officials have shown no leadership in fixing the State’s pension abuses. At least four Albany legislators are collecting sweet pensions on top of their annual salaries, including one Assemblyman who sponsored legislation last year to crack down on state workers for the same practice, known as “Double-Dipping." Seventy-five-year-old Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Island) technically "retired" last year but continues to "work" at the state capital, where tax payers are paying him $101,500 in Salary plus a Pension of about $72,000. Albany also allows convicted former legislators like Brian McLaughlin and State Senator Joe Bruno to collect their government pensions.
Why Bother Having an Election? 
