Many jobs, one big government pension

As a municipal court judge in Toms River, Damian G. Murray was paid $64,000 last year to hear cases about traffic violations, neighborhood complaints and minor fist fights.

But add in six other towns, all paying him between $11,000 and $54,000, and those part-time jobs suddenly balloon to a $278,399 a year public paycheck, all which adds to a hefty pension, making him one of the highest paid public officials in the state.

After more than 35 years of service, if Murray retires today he would be eligible for an annual pension of up to $176,000. The governor is paid just $175,000 a year.

In New Jersey, 540 public employees boosted their salaries last year with multiple government jobs that topped $100,000 — which will lead to sky-high retirement payments for years to come, the Asbury Park Press found. Seventy-seven high-paid multiple job holders were in Monmouth and Ocean counties, with Murray reaping the largest paycheck. Not too far behind was Ocean County Freeholder James F. Lacey. He was paid a total of $192,000 as Brick MUA's administrator and a member of the county's elected governing body.

Search a list of all government employees and multiple job holders at www.DataUniverse.com, the Asbury Park Press' public records site. Look under "What's New" for the link.

Under the state's pension system, projected to be billions in debt in the coming years, a public worker's pension is generally calculated by using the average of highest three years of pay (just one year for veterans). So a pension booster who cobbles together a handful of high-paying jobs at the end of his or her career, will reap more of a reward than an employee with just one job for 30 years.

It's all legal, and highly paid multiple job holders took home $74 million in taxpayer money in 2014, down by just $3 million from 2013.

The cost to the pension system if they retired tomorrow: $31 million a year. Times that by 15 years of retirement life, and the pension bubble balloons to nearly half a billion dollars, not counting cost of living increases and healthcare.

Murray did not comment for this article, but in the past he has said he provides excellent service for towns that can afford only part-time judges, and his total pay is comparable to what lawyers make in private practice. Other public servants argue their total salaries shouldn't matter as long as they do the work, especially since they help small towns save tax dollars.

Michael Bascom wears two hats — as chief financial officer for Neptune and part-time financial officer in Sea Bright. His total salary: $229,176. If he retired today with 28 years of service, he would be eligible for a pension of around $116,700 a year, according to the state's pension formula.

Bascom said he has earned every penny of it. He works 12- to 18-hour on weekdays and most weekends, he says.

"They'll have to hire several people to fill my roles, not just one person. Not very often do people come through that have the same qualifications and willingness to take on a broad spectrum of responsibility as I do," said Bascom, who is also Neptune's emergency management coordinator and police director. "I happened to be good at accounting, and my passion is public safety."

While multiple job holders account for tens of millions of dollars in tax money and future pension payouts, pension boosters are just a small part of the $24.4 billion public payroll. Last year, there were 406,000 employees in the pension system, from school clerks to the governor. Sixty-seven multiple job holders took home more than the governor. Most multiple job holders are municipal judges or financial officers, mostly due to the short supply of qualified, experienced candidates.

The highest paid last year was Edward L. Kerwin, a tax assessor for eight towns in Central Jersey with a $366,885 annual paycheck.

Critics say multiple job holders strain the state's already troubled pension system, leaving the state with less cash to spend on roads, infrastructure repair and other needs.

"I'm not saying that this issue doesn't have complexity to it, but I'm saying that (with) the standard we have now, the line isn't sharp enough and too many people are abusing the system," said state Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth. "It really needs to be revisited."

Beck has introduced numerous bills dealing with various forms of double dippers since she took office, but each has faced roadblocks in the Legislature.

The Christie administration has told the Press in previous years that he wants to ban dual office-holding, even those grandfathered in after the 2007 and 2008 reforms. He has pressured some within his own administration to drop multiple jobs, but so far there haven't been recent moves to limit double dipping. The Christie administration declined an interview with the Press.

Joe Monzo, of the Government Fihnance Officers Association of New Jersey, said many of the workers have helped municipalities fill positions that would otherwise have stayed open for months.

"They would get a larger benefit for having multiple jobs, but somebody has to do the jobs," said Monzo, who works full-time as CFO of South Brunswick and part-time for two other municipalities. "If the community in the past couldn't hire a part-time person, they would have to hire a full-time person."

That's the dilemma before New Jersey taxpayers, said Marc Pfeiffer, assistant director at the Rutgers University Bloustein Local Government Research Center: "(Taxpayers) may be getting a bargain, but the price of that bargain is that you might have individuals who seem excessively compensated, either on a day-to-day basis or for pension purposes."

Jerry Cantrell, a policy expert and president of the policy think tank Common Sense Institute of New Jersey, said previous pension reforms don't go far enough in stopping public servants from making multiple government paychecks. The result, he said, is a group of public servants signed up for six, seven or eight jobs.

"Their justification is they're part-time. What human being can handle eight or nine jobs?" Cantrell said. "I'm not saying there's no situations where you have some slight savings, but if you look at the big picture it's abuse."

Some Neptune Township residents have expressed such concern about Bascom and his jobs.

He said he sometimes goes two or three days without sleep.

Officials lauded Bascom's work to improve the township's financial standing. Under Bascom's tenure, the township's ratings by Moody's Standards & Poor has risen four levels to an AA. PhilHuhn, a retired employee who used to supervise Bascom, called him the "best municipal employee I've ever worked with."

But what if Bascom is the exception to the rule? And how does the public ensure that everyone who says they're working that much actually does? For these multiple job holders, Beck suggests a requirement that employees to outline what their typical schedules look like.

"I think most people find it hard to believe that you can hold so many jobs and accomplish all the work that is required in the time that you have," she said. "It seems almost not possible.

"There should be some framework that provides assurance to the general public that the positions and the responsibilities are fulfilled."

Steph Solis: 732-643-4043; ssolis@app.com

Who made the most from multiple jobs in Monmouth and Ocean counties in 2014?

A list of public officials, their primary town, number of jobs held and total pay.

1. Damian Murray, Toms River, municipal court judge. Seven jobs, $278, 399.

2. Stephen Gallagher, financial officer, Ocean Township. Five jobs, $266,568.

3. Ronald Mehlhorn, Long Branch, financial officer. Three jobs, $256,692.

4. James Liguori, Toms River, municipal court judge. Five jobs, $249,152.

5. Scott Pezarras, Brick, financial officer. Four jobs, $244,767.

6. Patrick DeBlasio, Keansburg and Carteret, financial officer. Four jobs, $244,540.

7. Mitchell Elias, Freehold and Monroe, tax assessor. Four jobs, $233,468.

8. Michael Bascom, Neptune, financial officer. Two jobs, $229,176.

9. George Lang, Roosevelt and Monroe, financial officer. Five jobs, $225,966.

10. Richard Thompson, Tinton Falls, municipal court judge. Six jobs, $217,500.

11. Denise Jawidzik, Fair Haven and Jamesburg, financial officer. Four jobs, $204,270.

12. Frank Frazee, Ocean County Vocational school business administrator. Two jobs, $198,798.

13. James F. Lacey, Ocean County Freeholder and Brick MUA administrator. Two jobs, $192,280.

Photographs of DeBlasio, Elias, Lang, Thompson and Jawidzik were not immediately available. The story will be updated as more become available.

Search a list of all government employees and multiple job holders at www.DataUniverse.com, the Asbury Park Press' public records site. Look under "What's New" for the link.