Suffolk’s former Chief Deputy County Executive Paul Sabatino has threatened a lawsuit challenging $36,000 in cuts to his nearly $186,000 in exit pay. But before going to court, he’s gotten the county to admit a $6,900 error in “arithmetic computation.”
In a May 27 letter, the Suffolk comptroller’s office admitted the mistakes in calculations — and in one case a transposition error — and said Sabatino will receive a check for $4,166.23 in addition to his original payment of $149,831.93 before taxes. Sabatino, who left on bad terms with County Executive Steve Levy, says he doesn’t blame the comptroller, who made a “prompt and professional reply.” Rather, he said, “I feel sorry for the comptroller who had to rely on a worthless legal opinion from a county attorney who has to first clear everything with the county executive.”
“I had nothing to do with the calculations,” said County Attorney Christine Malafi.
“And if there were any errors to the vacation time Mr. Sabatino uethically applied for, then it is his own fault.”
Rick Brand
Comments (2)
Totally weird.
One need only observe the disintegration of the legislature since Sabatino's departure as Legislative Counsel to understand how deeply Suffolk has been damaged by his absense.
I was highly offended by a recent Newsday editorial painting an image of "...the legislature is now a tiny car spewing endless circus clowns, with large red noses and big feet".
It is no laughing matter that the legislature has become an embarassing collection of elected officials too lazy, stupid or scared to stop legislators with such arrogant disregard for rules and procedures. Is this Suffolk County or some third world junta?!
While I credit Legislator Ric Montano for having the courage to go to court to invalidate discharge of a recent anti-immigrant bill, 1105, from committee, I am disgusted and discouraged by the failure of the other 17 legislators to refuse to vote on a bill illegally discharged from committee.
And where was Legislative Counsel George Nolan? This NEVER would have happened on Paul Sabatinos watch, either the 20 years he served Suffolk so admirably as legislative counsel or the four years he worked as Levy's Chief Deputy.
After 31 years of stellar service to the good people of Suffolk County, we allow this pettiness of quibbling over vacation pay just because the Levy administration is collapsing without Sabatino?!
Give me a break! The only legitimate criticism I can think of regarding Paul Sabatino is that he ought to be horsewhipped for allowing his ideas and work product to lend Levy an aura of capability and credibility during his time as Chief Deputy County Exec.
Sabatino should be embarassed and ashamed of helping Levy rise to the point of weilding his power so abusively, and work to restore Suffolk Countys fiscal and economic health and integrity.