Kennedy O'Brien's new job could come with a 40K lifetime pension after just a brief stint of service
SAYREVILLE -- The borough council passed a resolution Tuesday "condemning" the longtime mayor's new job as a director with the state Department of Corrections, a post that along with a six-figure salary also could qualify the Republican for a $40,000 annual pension after just four years of service.
Sayreville Mayor Kennedy O'Brien (file photo) Kennedy O'Brien, 61, was named to the $110,000-a-year position in January and would qualify for the pension thanks to his tenure in office. He has been a councilman since 1995 and mayor since 2000 and now earns a salary of $5,500 for that post.
But because pensions are calculated based on salary during the last three years of service, O'Brien's payout could be as high as $40,000 for life, according to mycentraljersey.com, which reported on O'Brien's new job in May.
The loophole that allows O'Brien to collect the pension was closed by Gov. Jon Corzine in 2007, but under a grandfather clause the rule change did not apply to those already in the system.
"Mayor O'Brien's new job means a massive pension windfall that will set him up for life and the taxpayers will be forced to pick up the tab," Council President Dave McGill, a Democrat running against O'Brien next month, said in a statement released to NJ Advance Media and other outlets. "It's completely unfair to the taxpayers and is yet another huge pension ripoff perpetrated by Governor Chris Christie and Mayor O'Brien. Tonight the Borough Council is voicing its strong opposition to this and all other cases of blatant pension padding by public officials."
In the statement announcing the resolution, which passed 5 to 1, McGill also noted that O'Brien does not possess the listed qualifications for the job, including law-enforcement experience and a master's degree. The statement also notes O'Brien's close ties to Gov. Chris Christie, for whom O'Brien worked as a member of Christie's transition team in 2009.
In an interview with mycentraljersey.com Wednesday, McGill dismissed the resolution as "campaign literature" designed to sway an election less than a month away.
"Because it is without substance, it has be treated as a campaign flyer. It has nothing to do with pension reform," O'Brien told mycentraljersey. "It's a non-issue."
Paul Milo may be reached at pmilo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @PaulMilo2. FindNJ.com on Facebook
