Essex County employee salaries, 2008-2011
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Essex County employee salaries are public records under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act.
Salaries
Sunshine Review filed a public records request request seeking salary information on Essex County public employees, specifically those in administrative positions and anyone earning more than $150,000 annually.
2008 salaries
According to data provided by county officials, there were 13 county employees earning more than $150,000 annually as of 2008.[1]
- Medical Director Natarajan Elangovan earned $213,082
- Robert Stern, a psychiatrist, earned $197,000
- Janardana Pingili, a psychiatrist, earned $171,355
- Psychiatrist Adriana Cordal earned $171,250
- Michael Rubin, a psychiatrist, earned $164,312
- Naipaul Rambaran, clinical director, earned $160,000
- Krishna Maruri, a staff psychiatrist, earned $159,701
- Nirmala Bhagtani, a staff psychiatrist, earned $156,000
- Psychiatrist Joseph Buceta earned $156,000
- Psychiatrist Josef Kolenski earned $156,000
- Ila Shah, a psychiatrist, earned $156,000
- County Prosecutor Paula Dow earned $153,000
- Ronald Wei, a psychiatrist, earned $152,579
- County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo earned $149,350
2009 salaries
According to data provided by county officials, there were 13 county employees earning more than $150,000 annually as of 2009.[2]
- Medical Director Natarajan Elangovan earned $213,082
- Robert Stern, a psychiatrist, earned $197,000
- Janardana Pingili, a psychiatrist, earned $171,355
- Michael Rubin, a psychiatrist, earned $166,312
- County Prosecutor Paula Dow earned $165,000
- Krishna Maruri, a staff psychiatrist, earned $160,701
- Naipaul Rambaran, clinical director, earned $160,000
- Nirmala Bhagtani, a staff psychiatrist, earned $156,000
- Psychiatrist Joseph Buceta earned $156,000
- Psychiatrist Josef Kolenski earned $156,000
- Ila Shah, a psychiatrist, earned $156,000
- County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo earned $153,831
- Ronald Wei, a psychiatrist, earned $153,579
2010 salaries
According to data provided by county officials, there were 15 employees earning more than $150,000 annually as of 2010.[3]
- Medical Director Natarajan Elangovan earned $213,082
- Robert Stern, a psychiatrist, earned $197,000
- Janardana Pingili, a psychiatrist, earned $171,355
- Psychiatrist Bolivar Pascual earned $166,741
- Michael Rubin, a psychiatrist, earned $166,312
- Robert Clyman, a psychiatrist, earned $165,000
- County Prosecutor Robert Laurino earned $$165,000
- Krishna Maruri, a staff psychiatrist, earned $161,700
- Naipaul Rambaran, clinical director, earned $160,000
- Staff Psychiatrist Mary Ravelo earned $156,417
- Psychiatrist Joseph Buceta earned $156,000
- Internist Madiha Eltaki earned $156,000
- Psychiatrist Josef Kolenski earned $156,000
- Ila Shah, a psychiatrist, earned $156,000
- Ronald Wei, a psychiatrist, earned $154,579
- County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo earned $153,831
DiVincenzo, 58, used a state loophole to begin drawing his pension while still earning his full salary. State law allows elected officials in the public employee and police pension systems to "retire" but keep working. In fact, DiVincenzo "retired" just three months before winning an unprecedented third term as county executive.[4]
2011 salaries
According to data provided by county officials, there were 15 employees earning more than $150,000 annually as of 2011.[5]
- Medical Director Natarajan Elangovan earned $213,082
- Robert Stern, a psychiatrist, earned $197,000
- Janardana Pingili, a psychiatrist, earned $176,534
- Psychiatrist Bolivar Pascual earned $170,486
- Krishna Maruri, a staff psychiatrist, earned $166,543
- Robert Clyman, a psychiatrist, earned $165,000
- County Prosecutor Robert Laurino earned $$165,000
- Naipaul Rambaran, clinical director, earned $160,000
- Ronald Wei, a psychiatrist, earned $159,206
- Staff Psychiatrist Mary Ravelo earned $156,417
- Psychiatrist Joseph Buceta earned $156,000
- Internist Madiha Eltaki earned $156,000
- Psychiatrist Josef Kolenski earned $156,000
- Ila Shah, a psychiatrist, earned $156,000
- County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo earned $153,831
Car use
Sunshine Review filed a public records request seeking information on the number of automobiles, particularly those allowed to be driven home, Essex County provides to its public employees. According to data provided by the county, there are 21 automobiles assigned to employees.[6] The data does not describe the types of vehicles assigned, although the county did provide a list of automobiles in the county fleet.[7]
Salary records project
In 2011, Sunshine Review chose 152 local governments as the focus of research on public employee salaries. The editors of Sunshine Review selected eight states with relevant political contexts (listed alphabetically):
1. California
2. Florida
3. Illinois
4. Michigan
5. New Jersey
6. Pennsylvania
7. Texas
8. Wisconsin
Within these states, the editors of Sunshine Review focused on the most populous cities, counties and school districts, as well as the emergency services entities within these governments. The purpose of this selection method was to develop articles on governments affecting the most citizens.
The salary information garnered from these states were a combination of existing online resources and state Freedom of Information Act requests sent out to the governments.
A study published by the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia said the city of Philadelphia faced challenges owing to the cost of public employee pensions.[8] The report claimed the amount that Philadelphia paid to pension recipients limited the city’s ability to use its budget effectively.
The report said there were more individuals receiving pension benefits—33,907 claimants in 2006—than workers in the city—28,701.[8] The authors recommended three steps towards addressing the problem of high costs in pensions: improved data collection, expanded transparency initiatives, and reductions to the city's overall budget.[8]
Salary schedules can be published as ranges, not as specific compensation figures, and may leave out compensation received through health and retirement benefits, as well as benefits such as commuter allowances and cell phone reimbursements. This project aimed to close the gap and provide a more accurate picture of public employee salaries for the sake of public education and transparency.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Essex County, Employee Salary Information per FOIA Request
- ↑ Essex County, Employee Salary Information per FOIA Request
- ↑ Essex County, Employee Salary Information per FOIA Request
- ↑ NJ Star-Ledger, "Loophole allows Essex County Executive DiVincenzo to collect full salary, pension," March 31, 2010
- ↑ Essex County, Employee Salary Information per FOIA Request
- ↑ Essex County, Assigned Vehicle List (dead link)
- ↑ Essex County, Vehicle Fleet (dead link)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 '’Philadelphia’s Quiet Crisis: The Rising Cost of Employee Benefits, Pew Charitable Trusts and the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia, January 23, 2008
