Town Retiree Health Benfits--Out of Hand and Getting Worse

Like most residents I was surprised to discover that North Castle provides fully paid family health insurance to all former town employees, who have at least ten (10) years of service with the town. In certain cases, like that of Dr. Gene Matasow, eight (8) years as a part-time worker is sufficient to secure these benefits. The cost is around $1 million per year, or four (4) percent of the town budget.

When I see such public extravagances, it makes me slightly sorry that I decided to work in the private sector, complete with its risks of joblessness, benefit cuts, insurance co-payments, etc. I feel foolish when I see our town workers getting cradle to grave health insurance. And their insurance is not like yours or mine. They get full dental, eye glasses and contacts, laser eye surgery, prescription drug coverage and the list goes on and on. And these poor impoverished retirees are already receiving very generous pensions compliments of Jane and Joe Taxpayer as well as social security benefits.

More on the infamous Dr. Gene Matasow. A long long time ago he served on the Town Board, for just eight years. He paid for his medical benefits for two years after his departure. Then, lo and behold, the Town of North Castle, in a fit of taxpayer funded generosity, decided to pay his health insurance premiums ever since. Seventeen years, at a cost of hundreds of thousands to the beleaguered taxpayers. And what is Reese Berman's response, "As reported at the June 13, 2007 Town Board meeting, the Town Board investigated allegations concerning Dr. Matusow’s health benefits. It unanimously concluded that “a mistake was made 17 years ago . . . solely by the Town and not through any overt act of Dr. Matusow” and decided that “no action will be taken by the Town at this late juncture.” The events at issue occurred many years before I became a Councilman or Supervisor or had any role whatsoever in Town decision making."

So what was the outcome of the discovery of this "mistake?" The Town is still paying for this error. When will it end? Matasow's benefits should have immediately been terminated and he should have received a bill from the Town for at least the past five (5) years premiums. There's a word for someone who takes benefits that he should know he doesn't deserve. But we'll leave it to the reader to decide the appropriate term.

If the Board and Berman can be so cavlier as to simply shrug off improper payments to a politically connected former board member, what else are they hiding? What other sacred cows reside beneath the surface of the opaque town budget?

We need to know.