Column A politicians raise top salaries

Legislation sponsored by Union County political boss Nick Scutari raised Surrogate James Lacorte's salary to $189,000, a $24,000 pay hike that the Column A candidate received along with hundreds of other elected officials, judges, and prosecutors.

Some government officials even got more, as pay hikes up to $34,000 went last May to members of the governor's cabinet,who were political appointees hired at $141,000 a year in January 2018.

The state Legislature, which has chosen to leave the minimum wage at $8.85 for now, also approved a 5-year allocation of $20 million a year in taxpayer money to subsidize Monmouth Park, Meadowlands Racetrack and Freehold Raceway, as part of an effort by policymakers to help New Jersey offer more 'exciting horse racing experiences.'

Among those voting for the wasteful corporate welfare and to raise salaries for top government officials were Assemblyman Jim Kennedy and Assemblywoman Linda Carter.

One of their challengers says Kennedy and Carter disgraced themselves by consistenly voting for corporate welfare and politician pay raises.

"I would prefer to see the government work to make more exciting life experiences available for full-time working people who cannot afford to eat or keep a roof over their heads with a minimum-wage of $2.13 an hour to $8.85 an hour," said Carlos Rivas, who is leading the Democrats United Progress team running on Column C in the June 4 primary election, as an Assembly candidate along with Mark Lighten.

Gov. Phil Murphy signed the law allowing millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded raises for hundreds of public officials in New Jersey, including judges, county prosecutors, and members of the governor's cabinet. That $15 million pay hike bill was sposnored by state Senator Nick Scutari and supported by the column A legislative candidates.

At the same time, Murphy, a Democrat, signed the law on May 18, 2018, the governor also renewed his call for a $15-an-hour minimum wage in the state.

The chief justice of the state Supreme Court, Stuart Rabner, was earning nearly $193,000. Associate justices making $185,000 and Superior Court judges were paid between $165,000 and $175,000," said Rivas. "They all got $24,000 pay increases over three years, due to Scutari's pay hike law."

"The pay increases cost state and county taxpayers about $15.6 million, according to an analysis from the nonpartisan state Office of Legislative Services," said Rivas. "Those raises were too much for people who already made a large salary, especially when New Jersey's lowest paid workers deserved an increase."

The raises for those judges, county prosecutors, and other public officials were more than the entire annual salary for fulltime workers in New Jersey who are paid minumum wage according to Rivas.

"The raises of $24,000 to $34,000 for those government staffers significantly exceed the $18,408 a person would earn by working for minumum wage, 40 hours a week for a full year," said Rivas. "It is obscene that the political boss who sponsored big politician pay hikes is trying to make Mayor Derek Armstead look bad after the council adjusted his salary in accordance with state laws set by Scutari and Kennedy."

"Mayor Armstead is paid less than Mayor Gregorio and the adjustment brings his salary to less than what was Mayor Gerbounka's combined income from a city pension and his paycheck," said Rivas. "I admire Mayor Derek Armstead and the for rejecting the kind of greedy wage demands that parasitic politicians on Column A have approved. In a state where 51,774 government employees make a lot more money than our mayor and only 23,940 New Jersey public workers collect between $95,000 and $105,000, its hypocitical for Kennedy or Scutari to criticize Linden's leaders."

Democrats United for Progress candidates, Carlos Rivas, Alex Lospinoso, and Wilma Campbell, with Linden Mayor Derek Armstead, and Column C contenders Sylvia Turnage, Lisa McCormick, and Mark Lightner

Rivas said more than 150 out of 617 people employed by the New Jersey Legislature are paid more than Armstead, and 120 of them are part-timers who make $49,000 like Scutari and Kennedy.

Kennedy tripled his paycheck when he was mayor in Rahway and Scutari accepted retroactive pay hikes before Armstead fired him as municipal prosecutor, Rivas noted.

Currently just 8.85 per hour, New Jersey's minumum wage will rise to $10 on July 1, but not for everyone because Scutari and Kennedy do not care about ordinary working families, Rivas said .

Seasonal workers whose jobs falls only in the window of May 1 to Sep. 30, while a small employer is any business with five workers or fewer.

Agricultural workers who perform back-breaking farm labor will have to wait until Jan. 1, 2020 to see wages increase to $10.30 per hour. Subsequent increases every Jan. 1 will slowly push farm workers' wages to $12.50 in 2024.

Tipped workers, such as those in the food service industry, would see their pay increase from the current minimum of $2.13 an hour to only $5.13 an hour by 2024.

"Bartenders, waiters and waitresses, and other so-called tipped workers struggling to get by in a high-cost state like New Jersey often end up needing food stamps and other government assistance," said Rivas.

The $15 minimum-wage has been championed by presidential candidate, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and many others.

Democrat Lisa McCormick, who is challenging Lacorte for Union County Surrogate, is the national chair of a group advocating a federal job guarantee, an idea Rivas said is backed by many respected economists.