The Town of North Hempstead paid three former top administrative staff members more than $30,000 for vacation time they accrued, officials said, prior to leaving for new positions in other administrations.
Employees can accrue up to 80 days of vacation time to be paid during the year of their resignation, town spokeswoman Carole Trottere said.
“They can’t get paid for more than the 80 days,” Trottere said.
Former senior policy adviser Robert Troiano, who left to join the Curran administration as commissioner for traffic and parking violations but resigned after questions about his tax liens and other debts emerged, was among the three top officials.
Troiano accrued 20 days over his seven years combined as a senior policy adviser and council member, worth $10,877 in vacation time. After deductions for taxes, Troiano was paid $7,471.25.
Troiano earned $141,723 in 2017, a combination of his $137,660 salary and town buyback options, Trottere said.
Mitch Pitnick, who was North Hempstead’s chief deputy town attorney before becoming counsel to Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen, had just over 80 days of unused vacation time during his roughly 10 years with the town – worth $35,030. After deductions, Pitnick received $21,815 for his unused time.
Pitnick, who had worked for the town since 2007, earned $118,644 last year. His annual salary, which was $113,130 at the time of his departure, is now $145,000.
Averil Smith, previously the town’s comptroller since 2015, secured $3,392. Without taxes, she would have secured $5,557 for her 10 days of unused time.
Smith earned $143,351 last year with North Hempstead, $136,688 of it from salary, and will now make $130,000 a year as Hempstead’s new director of finance.
