Another day, another shocking Empire Center revelation. Announcing the latest update to its SeeThroughNY database of New York public employee pensions, the watchdog flagged the city government retirees now scoring the highest pensions.
No. 1 is former Housing Preservation and Development Department lawyer Joseph Fiocca, who retired in 2010 after 33 years and scored benefits of $434,263 for 2018.
In all, 1,108 retirees qualify for at least six figures a year from the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, which covers only part of the municipal workforce. (Other funds handle teachers, cops and firefighters.)
The taxpayers are on the line to make good on all benefits if the pension funds run short. And most retirees also qualify for city-funded health benefits — now the fastest-growing part of the city budget.
Nos. 2 and 3 behind Fiocca are former DOT workers Saul Basri at $367,219 and Holly Haff at $340,141. The highest pension for a 2017 retiree was $319,494 for Eileen Sullivan of the Queens DA’s Office — making her No. 4 behind Haff.
Which shows that multiple rounds of pension reform, supposedly trimming benefits, still leave city retirees doing quite nicely. Better, we fear, than the taxpayers can afford.
© 2019 New York Post
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