Barra’s county job under scrutiny

Nassau County Democrats are calling for an investigation into the employment of Bob Barra, who is employed by the county as a part-time golf attendant at Grant Park in Hewlett.

Barra, a Republican and former Assemblyman who is Valley Stream’s full-time village clerk, defended his position with the county, saying his job at the park is legitimate and he has worked every hour he has been paid for.

Nassau County Legislative Minority Leader Kevan Abrahams sent a letter to both County Executive Ed Mangano and Comptroller George Maragos asking them to review the situation. Barra made $33,586 from Nassau County in 2013, a rate of $45 per hour.

“This appears to be cronyism at its best, which is specifically unfair because you have so many hardworking members of the county workforce in the same titles working full time and making less than someone working part time,” Abrahams said. “It’s political favoritism. It’s got to stop. Nassau residents deserve better.”

Union workers in Nassau County have been subjected to a wage freeze by the Nassau Interim Finance Authority for the past three years. Abrahams said that the administration should not be paying high salaries to politically-connected individuals, especially in tough economic times and when the county is under the watch of a financial control board. Valley Stream Village Trustee Dermond Thomas is a member of NIFA.

Abrahams noted that Barra is labeled as a golf attendant but Grant Park does not have a golf course. He questioned if Barra is legitimately employed by the county. “It seems highly irregular to hire a golf manager whose background is actually in hockey and place him in a park with no golf course,” Abrahams wrote in his letter.

Barra said that because he does not work with golf, he understands the confusion. However, he explained that he does work at the park throughout the year. He said that he did not choose the title, nor did he set the salary.

In the winter, Barra is assigned to the skating rink where he said he is responsible for checking the condition of the ice, renting and sharpening skates, supervising the skaters and attending to injuries. He said he is frequently there on Friday and Saturday evenings.