The New Jersey Governor’s office approved the decision to pay compensation and a year’s worth of back pay to the chairman of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority and two other previously unpaid board members, Chairman Robert Mulcahy said on Tuesday.
Governor Chris Christie has in the past pressed for pay-rise caps for public sector workers. Lawyers for his administration have argued in court in favor of pay and job cuts for Atlantic City’s police and fire departments. But earlier on Tuesday, Mulcahy and the CRDA board voted to hire 15 additional class II officers to help combat the perception of crime in the city.
Mulcahy said that although there was an agreement when he was appointed in 2011 that no one would receive compensation, the appointees named by the state assembly president and the senate received compensation. “It became an unfair situation,” he said, speaking to Route 40 after the board meeting. “It’s a fairness matter… it’s fair to the people we’re serving here. You can’t have half paid and half unpaid.”
The agreement for one year’s worth of back pay came about because Mulcahy had to negotiate for a year to get compensation, he said.
“Actually, somebody should thank me for doing it for those years for nothing,” he added.
Route 40 exclusively reported the $65,500 back pay and compensation arrangements last week:
Three CRDA Board Members Take Thousands in Back Pay, Stipends
Mulcahy, who was fired from Rutgers University amid revelations of unchecked spending and secret deals, receives a pension worth $13,533.21 a month, or $162,398.52 a year. Now he also receives $23,000 a year for his CRDA responsibilities.
A spokesman for the governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.