Taxpayers foot bill for megabucks pensions
This is how bloated and out of control Massachusetts pensions have become:
Billy Bulger, the Corrupt Midget, now has only the 12th highest pension in the state — $201,656.
Somebody asked me recently, if I had my career to start over again, what would I do differently? My answer was, I would get me a hack job, as the fake Indian and John Kerry would say. A hack job — what’s not to like, no heavy lifting, no lifting period, collecting megabucks for the rest of your life, never having to worry about money again?
The state system of “higher education,” so-called, has become the hogs’ ultimate feeding trough. Check out their pensions for yourself on the Herald website. Let me just pick a few educators emeritus, at random, starting with one Dana Mohler-Faria, late of Bridgewater State College, er University — $184,591 a year.
This is the same payroll patriot who walked away in 2015 with, in addition to the pension, a lump sum payment of $269,984 for, ahem, unused sick and vacation pay. Oh yeah, and the trustees also gave him a $100,000 a year “consulting” contract, although that smash-and-grab was foiled after news of it broke in a magazine.
Then there’s Daniel Asquino, longtime hack president of Mount Wachusett Community College, or has that become a community university? Since 2017, he’s been pocketing a $173,981 pension. Asquino’s lump sum check for that traditional unused vacation/sick time?
$334,138.
Remember the two recent State Police scandals involving the junkie prostitute daughter of the hack judge as well as the drug-dealing, perjurious, money-laundering state trooper Leigha Genduso?
Those twin scandals wiped out the top echelon of the crooked State Police, and probably added $10 million to the unfunded pension liability of the Commonwealth.
Among those “retiring” in the wake of the Bibaud and Genduso catastrophes were Richard McKeon, the colonel, $169,771, Genduso’s boyfriend Dan Risteen, $159,999, his good buddy Francis Hughes, $179,478, and the major who was in charge of the barracks where they tried to put the fix in for the judge’s daughter – Susan Anderson.
She went out with $139,949 a year, for life. By the way, Genduso was also tight with another retired statie by the name of Marian McGovern. Used to send her birthday tweets. Marian’s been collecting her kiss in the mail since 2012 — $164,741.
It’s like the hacks at the State House always say: Forgotten but not gone. You scan down this hack pension list, and the names come floating back from the dim recesses of memory….
Let’s visit the 413 area code. David Bartley, the ex-House speaker from Holyoke, last won an election in, I think, 1974 or ’76. Now grabbing $156,496 as ex-president of Holyoke Community College, or is university?
Ken Lemanski, a ham-and-egger state rep — $129,479 from Westfield State. Speaking of Westfield, the ex-rep, Steve Pierce. He’s grabbing two pensions, one for judge ($105,173) and another from the Governor’s Executive Office ($72,589).
Jim Collins, ex-state rep from Amherst, ex-judge: $101,150.
Closer to home, remember Mike Creedon, ex-rep and senator from the Brockton hack family, run off the bench after making untoward comments in his judicial chambers a few years back — $120,161.
Christine McEvoy, another judge, arrested for driving under on Route 128 – $120,941.
Joan Menard, the totally worthless state senator from Bristol, later interred at Bristol Community University, or College, or something. Phony Baloney Joanie’s pension is $100,467.
Charlie Lyons, Arlington hack who feasted on the MWRA while at Shawsheen Valley Tech — $182,135.
Diane Kottmyer, retired judge who as a federal organized-crime prosecutor once joked at the retirement dinner of Zip Connolly, the gangster/FBI agent now in prison in Florida, about buying booze at the liquor store extorted by Whitey Bulger: $120,941 a year.
How about some golden couples now on golden pond with solid gold parachutes? Lynda Connolly, ex-chief justice of the district court, $103,293, and her husband, the former secretary of space, uh, state, Mike Connolly, listed at $32,051. (Is that all?)
Andrew Scibelli, ex-pres of Springfield Tech, retired in 2004, $155,452, and his wife, former tax deadbeat state Sen. Linda Melconian of Springfield, $33,014. (Again, is that all?) I googled the fun couple yesterday and I came up with an address in… Boca Raton. Nice neighborhood!
I could keep going, maybe I will, on Sunday, but in my next column I want to address the memoirs of the above-mentioned Leigha Genduso, thrown off the State Police after her sordid criminal background as a drug kingpin and money launderer was revealed last year.
By her own account, Leigha is now making $20 an hour working for a security company.
Twenty bucks an hour – you’re a long way from the hackerama now, Trooper. Welcome back to the real world. Welcome back to the Dreaded Private Sector.
