Some long-serving public officials in New Jersey are collecting huge payouts when they retire. The payouts can include saved-up leave and sick days over the course of the job. These retirement payouts can catch local leaders by surprise, leaving municipalities scrambling to pay. Among the latest cases raising eyebrows is of retired West Orange Police Chief, James Abbott, who’s suing the town to collect his $782,000 payout.
Marc Pfeiffer is a faculty researcher at Rutgers’ Bloustein Center for Urban Policy Research. He spent nearly 40 years in local government administration, mostly in New Jersey’s Division of Local Government Services. Pfeiffer joined WNYC host Michael Hill what this all means for local government and tax payers.