A final word — for now — on how much State Senate and Assembly members spend on their office operations.

The Empire Center for Public Policy did a ranking for the six-month period ending March 31 of this year. Here’s a summary of the findings, but you really need to review the list ranking individual lawmakers.

What the center found is that our million dollar man, Dale Volker, only ranked No. 15 among senators. The rest of the Republican senators from Western New York ranked in the middle of the pack, starting with George Maziarz at No. 31 — smack dab in the middle. Our local Dems ranked near the bottom in office spending. That’s what being in the minority will get you.

In the Assembly, Robin Schimminger’s spending was the third-highest of the 150 members. He’ll tell you that’s in line with his seniority — he’s tied for third with Shelly Silver. Sam Hoyt ranks 36th, Bill Parment 62nd. Everyone else’s spending is below average, although in a Legislature that spends more than $200 million a year, that’s not necessarily a compliment.

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