What, Me Stressed? St. Lawrence and Ramapo Town Board Give Whopping Raises to Political Appointees

Ramapo’s designation as one of the most fiscally stressed towns in the state doesn’t seem to be causing elected official to sweat much, as the town board approved massive raises for many loyalists of Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence’s administration, the activist group Preserve Ramapo reported last week.

Leading the pack was notorious Democratic Party operative and former town party chair, Mona Montal, with a $40,866 increase in her salary, a 39 percent increase over her not paltry $105,000 2013 salary. That’s plus benefits, of course. Montal is the town’s director of Purchasing.

Town Clerk Christian Sampson also was taken care of, earning a $23,252 raise, for 19 percent over her 2013 total. Michelle Antosca, director of Parks and Recreation received a nice rise of $14,664, a total of 10 percent more than her $141,607 salary last year. Justice Court Clerk Helen Travers’ rise was $16,758, 14 percent over her 2013 salary of $118,949.

Personnel Administrator Linda Condon won a 9 percent bump up from the town board, $147,479 for 2014 over her 2013 pay of $135,054 and Director of Automated Systems Teresita Reeck’s rise was $13,064, 10 percent more than her 2013 salary of $132,802.

All of the well-compensated political appointees had received regular raises in years prior of three to five percent. Asked to explain the large increases during the town’s stressful financial period, Councilman Daniel Friedman stated, “They were a long time coming.”

The Empire Center think tank claims that the Town of Ramapo has the highest average salary for town workers and police of any town in the state of New York.