Sneaky Pete Slips Starkey’s Insider Raise Q’s
The NJ names names and turns up the heat on Sneaky Pete.
Amid budget grief, big raises for Dover political aides
Delaware lawmakers quietly awarded their top political aides in Legislative Hall thousands of dollars in raises earlier this year, even as they reduced or eliminated general pay increases for rank-and-file state employees, according to a review of payroll data by The News Journal.
House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, a Rehoboth Democrat who approved the raises, ducked questions from The News Journal, ignoring repeated requests for comment. “Pete is not available to comment about this,” said Drew Volturo, a House Democratic spokesman.
Drew Volturo has been on the other side of this, so I’m not sure why he is going with this stonewalling approach. Maybe the Dem “leadership” has some broadside attack on teachers in he works that they plan to use to push this off the front page? It wouldn’t surprise me.
The spokesman’s job is sometimes to shield his bosses from tough questioning/public shaming. Pete won’t talk about this, so Drew is only doing his job.
Pete’s refusal to talk speaks volumes. There is nothing helpful to his cause that he can say. And sometimes even the finest wordsmiths are at a loss for words, especially when their bosses get caught and exposed to the public.
I get that Volturo isn’t setting the strategy. Just knowing how these things go, it is a little surprising that the decided on stonewalling.
With what I hear may be coming out, stonewalling may be their only strategy.
Primary
Volturo is only doing what he’s been told. These SOBs will eventually come up with something to say. It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Meanwhile, most state employees make less than 30K and have been losing money to health care cost increases and inflation for years without any real raises. Hubris
First of all, El Som, you’re killing me with these hints that something big is going to happen.
Secondly, Drew if you read this, old friend, do not get in the middle of scandal where your bosses did something wrong. Don’t lie for them, even if instructed to do so. Do all you can to wash your hands of any huge ethical lapses.
I don’t see Drew being one to lie for these guys. And I suspect El is referring to the illegally paid bonuses. These guys in the general assembly start to drink their own koolaid and believe they are smarter than everyone else or above the rules. But, the FBI apparently has other thoughts.
Where federal rules broken on the illegal bonuses that where paid out ? I wonder if they were even reported as income and taxes were paid. That could get real interesting
It’s where the bonuses were paid from and what they were paid for. At least that’s what I hear.
Bonuses? To staffers? To themselves? Where did the money come from?
Check out Valerie’s post on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/valerie.longhurst?fref=photo
AQC: Yes that’s what I have heard also. i am sure the NJ has all the information and it won’t be long before they are exposed for all of this. It is ashame how corrupt that place has become in just a couple years
AQC- you seriously think the FBI is investigating these “illegal bonuses” or whatever? Am I missing something – were these “bonuses” paid for with state money and given in reward for their official duties or something? Shouldn’t require an FBI investigation if that’s the case, I think the paper trail would be easy to follow.
So we’re accusing them of receiving bonuses for $5,000 or more
Hit post before I finished my sentence.
So we are accusing them of receiving bonuses for $5,000 or more? Isn’t that the amount you’d have to report as income and pay taxes on? If it’s that kind of money and the money is from the state, how did no one notice this until now?
Meanwhile, most state employees make less than 30K and have been losing money to health care cost increases and inflation for years without any real raises.
FYI, this widespread in the private sector right now and will get worse after the 22.4% healthcare increase coming from Highmark that our dim witted Insurance Commissioner can’t seem to stop. Delaware is the only state on the east coast that has been experiencing negative wage growth.
http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21647642-living-standards-drop-americas-business-capital-first-state-comes-last
The pay raises for legislative staff members aren’t “illegal.” They are ill timed and ill conceived, but not “illegal.” They are also pay raises, not “bonuses” so the employees who received them will find the raises on their W-2s as taxable income.
Drew does what he’s told unless he wants his posters ripped off of his office wall.
anon: I think you’re talking about the raises. They are different from the ‘bonuses’, given out to a select few from a source other than the raises. Some received both, some received one or the other, some received neither. That part of the story has not yet been reported, but I think it’ll change your perspective.
I know it’s difficult to follow b/c we’ve chosen to defer to the News-Journal, which is allegedly working on the story. I think we’re doing the right thing, but I’m not 100% sure that’s true.
But were the raises provided for campaign related activity? That is my question. I suspect that even the legislators who are complaining about these raises probably benefited from and encouraged these young staffers to work on their campaigns…. For free!!!!!
Someone in leadership probably noticed how hard they were working, even in their off time, for these ungrateful sociopaths and decided to give them raises. Painfully illegal I suspect. However, if these staffers who act as cheap servants to these narcissistic legislators were once and for all banned from working on their races without being paid for their services, many of these legislators would never win. That might be a good thing.
Banning staffers from working on races, and raising taxes in order to pay ALL state employees a living wage would be nice.
That part of the story has not yet been reported, but I think it’ll change your perspective.
I know it’s difficult to follow b/c we’ve chosen to defer to the News-Journal, which is allegedly working on the story. I think we’re doing the right thing, but I’m not 100% sure that’s true.
Letting TNJ dole out little bits of the story at a time doesn’t benefit anyone. Will they ever even put out the whole story? Put what you’ve got in the sunlight, where it belongs, force TNJ report it.
With six reporters and one editor taking buyouts, will the NJ even have the horsepower to get this story written? (Yes, I know Starkey and Offredo are too young to qualify for buyouts but it’s almost inevitable that management will adjust their priorities before they get to the bottom of all this.)
Maybe Ace Reporter, Celia Cohen, will pick it up?
But seriously folks, too bad the DEGOP let itself get dirtied up. They might have had an interest in pulling on this thread.
I am not sure when the News Journal will be running their story. All I heard was it has to do with illegally spending PAC money in the amount of over $4000.00… I am sure it can be found on one of the campaign finance reports, maybe that’s why the Feds would be investigating.
I am hearing that Julius Cephas had John Sweeney and other NJ people on his LAPA (Comcast 28) show last night. Sweeney and Jeff Montgomery are definitely out. The show will be up on YouTube soon.
Cris Barrish, jeff Montgomery, John Sweeney, Bill McMichael, robin brown, Maureen Milford, Doug Williams.
Barrish…? Wow, its wall to wall USAToday feed from now on I guess
Sweeney out? To quote Gene Mauch, “Sometimes you add by subtracting.”
Losing Barrish really sucks, though. Gotta say, as a subscriber to the e-paper, I find it to be about as user-unfriendly as possible.
Jeff Montgomery is irreplaceable.
That’s a lot of experience being shown the door, joining a long list in the annual Gannett purge of talent.
Who is left to purge?
El Som, if you’re referring to who has been there for 25 years and still survives, I can’t think of anyone other than Molly Murray.
After her, the next level of seniority is probably Talorico/Parra/Cormier — all of whom remain forever young in my book.
Barrish, Montgomery, robin, Maureen — that’s almost 150 years of experience right there, and virtually all of the remaining institutional memory.