Pay raise scandal rocks Nassau Legislature, prompts call for leadership change

A pay raise scandal in the Nassau Legislature has one lawmaker calling for the presiding officer?s resignation. Leg. Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin) is urging Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (Woodbury) to

News 12 Staff

Sep 28, 2006, 3:42 AM

Updated 6,684 days ago

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A pay raise scandal in the Nassau Legislature has one lawmaker calling for the presiding officer?s resignation.
Leg. Joseph Scannell (D-Baldwin) is urging Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (Woodbury) to step aside after Leg. David Mejias (D-North Massapequa) says he uncovered an irregularity in the budget to the tune of nearly $400,000. Jacobs says she planned to use the money for legislators? pay raises, but listed the funds as salaries for legislative assistants. The lawmaker also says she struck the deal with Leg. Peter Schmitt (R-Seaford), but he denies having any knowledge of the plan. Jacobs says she was going to move the money to the next budget after voters had cast their ballots on the issue. She maintains she has no plans to quit.
Jacobs says there was no way to ensure that the money would be available in 2007, so she planned for it now. Nassau lawmakers have worked 10 years without a raise. Many of them told News 12 Long Island while there was talk of boosting their salaries from $39,500 to $56,000, they had no idea where the money would come from.