Despite a $3 billion state budget deficit and tens of thousands of lost jobs, 11 of the state Senate’s highest-paid staffers got pay hikes of up to $32,000 when it appeared Democrats would lose control of the chamber.
A spokesman for Senate President Pro Tem Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), whose office approved the raises, said they had been scheduled to go into effect before the June 8 Senate coup, and “one thing had nothing to do with the other.”
But a prominent Senate Democrat told The Post, “This is one of the most outrageous things I’ve ever seen. Frankly, I’m ashamed of it.”
The 11 staffers got raises of $10,000 to $32,000, costing taxpayers $200,000 annually.
The group includes top aides to Smith and Senate Democratic Conference leader John Sampson (D-Brooklyn).
“It’s outrageous,” said a spokesman for state Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Nassau).