"ALBANY — The state Parole Board, whose members make $101,600 each for the politically appointed posts, would be cut from 19 members to 13 under a proposal by Gov. David Paterson.
Paterson wants to cut the board and save the state more than $600,000 a year because the number of hearings the members attended has plummeted 32 percent, from 36,046 in 1995 to 24,662 in 2008.
Despite the decreased workload, their salaries and benefits haven't changed.
"At a time when the state is facing a fiscal crisis, we have to look at every single area of state government," said Paterson's budget spokesman, Matt Anderson. "We believe the board can still achieve its mission with 13 members at a savings of over half-a-million dollars to taxpayers." "
The length of term served by each member of the NYS Board of Parole would be lowered from six years to five under Paterson's proposal.
Read the full story by Joseph Spector, Gannett News Service's Albany Bureau Chief
See also:
You Paid For It: State Parole Board Salaries (wgrz.com, November 19 2009).
