Long Beach City Council President calls for results of payout investigation to be released

Anissa Moore says city will seek full ‘restitution’ for alleged overpayments

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New City Council President Anissa Moore called on State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas last week to release the results of their ongoing investigations into the city’s payout practices, saying that residents have demanded answers for more than a year.

In March, DiNapoli’s office said that it expected to release part of a comprehensive audit of the city’s finances this summer, focusing on separation payouts to current and former employees that sparked an outcry among residents last year.

Last year, Moore and Councilman John Bendo voted against a $2.1 million borrowing measure to cover payouts in the 2017-18 fiscal year — including a number of payments to non-union employees who remained on the payroll, and a $108,000 payment to then City Manager Jack Schnirman, who is now the county comptroller. The dissenting votes led to the rejection of the measure.

Schnirman was overpaid by more than $50,000 for accumulated sick time, according to a Herald analysis of his payout documents that year.

At the Aug. 20 council meeting, Moore also called for “full restitution” to the city for any overpayments that may have been improperly given to employees.

“Last year, we were advised to stay out of it as the investigation was taking form,” Moore said. “It is now 16 months later, and the council — at least some us — still remain in the dark. We urge DiNapoli and D.A. Singas to, at this time, conclude their investigations with respect to the overview of the payouts now, without fear or special favors. They need to reveal their findings immediately.”

Singas’s office said that the investigation is ongoing. A spokeswoman for DiNapoli's office did not immediately return a request for comment. Those familiar with the probe said that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is also investigating city payouts.

Moore, a Democrat who is up for re-election this year, said she was not speaking for other members of the council. She made her comments a day after a news conference where Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Don Clavin called on Schnirman to resign amid the investigation.

Clavin, a Republican who is running against Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen this year, was joined by Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford, a Democrat who caucused with Republicans, and also called Gillen’s chief of staff, Jim LaCarrubba, to resign, saying that he received two questionable payouts as Long Beach’s former commissioner of public works and later as director of operations.

Additionally, a Newsday story earlier this month showed that Schnirman was overpaid an additional $6,600 for even more sick days since 2012.

“Although many of us have focused in on the monies owed to us by Mr. Schnirman, this is bigger and has larger implications,” Moore said. “Once again, this not only involves our former city manager, but also involves former and current employees — co-conspirators if you will — who signed the former city manager’s claim forms.”

Furthermore, payouts were made to these individuals — thousands of dollars — some of whom never left city employment,” she added. “This is a clear abuse of power; this is a clear abuse of public trust. We will get to the bottom of this, and we intend to seek restitution for all that’s owed to the city.”

Schnirnman, who did not sign his payout forms, said last week that he welcomed “any and all professional reviews of how the City of Long Beach has processed and compensated earned leave obligations over a period of many years and several administrations.” He said he did not calculate or process his payment because “that would be inappropriate,” adding that his records were submitted to the payroll department.

“If a professional review shows the City of Long Beach made any error in my payment, I would seek to return any funds paid in error, as I trust anyone would do,” Schnirman said in a statement.