Democrats ask Mangano to co-sponsor pay raise repeal

Democrats in the Nassau County Legislature asked Republican County Executive Ed Mangano Tuesday to join with them in repealing pay raises that GOP members recently gave the legislature's top three leaders.

Republicans, on an 11-8 party-line vote, increased the compensations of presiding officer Peter Schmitt, his deputy and the Democratic minority leader by $32,000, $22,000 and $27,000, respectively, on top of an average $25,000 stipend. Base pay is $39,500.

Other legislators do not get a stipend and did not receive a pay hike.

In response, Mangano spokesman Michael Martino said: "It is our understanding that Majority Leader Schmitt has already addressed this by drafting and filing similar legis-lation for the Feb. 22 calendar."

Schmitt, of Massapequa, had said Friday that he would push to rescind the stipend raises he had put forth.

But Democrats told Mangano by letter that Schmitt "backtracked" Monday when he did not "call a proposed ordinance [to rescind the raises], which he filed late last Friday" and had placed on Monday's Rules Committee agenda.

Schmitt, though, said he did not call the item because by Monday he had decided to repeal the raises the same way he hiked the stipend on Jan. 25 - by a procedural resolution.