Ten retired Long Island teachers are getting $250K+ in retirement pay and 100 get more than $157K. L.I. cops are well paid also, Newsday in 2014 listing total pay of $160,977 for Chief Edward Ecker of East Hampton down to total pay of $98,792 for officer Michael Selz, 49th on the list.

The retirement pay of teachers and administrators was reported by SeeThroughNY, seethroughny.net a public advocacy website operated by Empire Center.

James FeltmanJames Feltman

Only the two highest-paid retired teachers in New Jersey would even make the top 50 list of the L.I. teachers, said the website.

No. 1 on L.I. is James Feltman, who retired in 2010 as superintendent of the Commack School District. His pension is $326,214. His base pay in 2010 was $363K but he received $314K for 24 years of unused sick pay for total of $657K. Feltman was profiled in a story titled “Five Outrageous Supt. Salaries” on teachingmonster.com.

Three others receive $300K+ and ten receive more than $250K+.

In Westhampton Beach, where we reside most of the year, Police Chief Ray Dean retired in 2014 with a package that included $403,714 for 513 unused sick, vacation and personal days. His last pay was $226,236 including extras and he is also to receive $142K annual in pension. The New York Post called the package “a huge criminal payout.”

Public Officials Should Be Responsive

Our interest in this is that officials of all types who are on the public pad should be responsive to the needs of citizens including the need for information.

As a resident of Westhampton Beach for most of the year, we find that school, police, village and library officials are not.

Mayor Maria Moore of WHB has refused requests for an interview for more than a year and will not even talk to us on the telephone. Attempts to address her at the monthly WHB meetings in the village hall are shut down by WHB lawyers after five minutes because we are not on the “agenda.” The trustees refuse to put us on the agenda.

We can’t interest officials at the high school, middle school or grade school on the dangers presented by electromagnetic radiation. There’s no doubt that use of cellphones and computers, especially by children, needs to undergo numerous changes. Pressing cellphones to the ear, carrying them in a pocket, and using cordless phones instead of landlines are among practices that must be stopped.

Wi-Fi should no longer be allowed in libraries and other public places including classrooms. Attempts to document the reasons for such advice are blocked by the library, schools and WHB elected officials.

Public officials on Long Island are well paid and even over-paid and should be responsive to public health concerns.

List of top 50 L.I. recipients of the New York Teacher Retirement System as tabulated by Empire Center:

  1. Feltman, James A, Commack Union Free Schools: $326,214
  2. Karnilow, Sheldon, Half Hollow Hills Central Schools: $322,650
  3. Hankin, Carole, Syosset Central Schools: $320,152
  4. Hunderfund, James H, Commack Union Free Schools: $317,289
  5. Shea, Thomas C, South Huntington Union Free Schools: $293,070
  6. Brande, Richard T, Brookhaven-Comsewogue Union Free Schools: $291,713
  7. Saffer, Shelley, Brookhaven-Comsewogue Union Free Schools: $289,269
  8. Brown, Herb R, Oceanside Union Free Schools: $285,200
  9. Friedman, Ronald L, Great Neck Public Schools: $267,672
  10. Sulc, Charles V, Massapequa Public Schools: $254,420
  11. Licopoli, Lorenzo, Mineola Union Free Schools: $240,921
  12. Campo, Leon J, East Meadow Union Free Schools: $233,785
  13. Richman, John A, Roslyn Public Schools: $231,645
  14. Brosnan, William J, Jr, Northport-East Northport Union Free Schools: $229,966
  15. Melucci, Ranier W, Merrick Union Free Schools: $226,542
  16. Meierdiercks, Warren A, Sewanhaka Central Schools: $222,945
  17. Greenberg, Robert, Long Beach City School District: $218,935
  18. Bonasera, Anthony J, Mount Sinai Union Free Schools: $216,817
  19. Mc Donald, William J, Floral Park-Bellerose Union Free Schools: $216,486
  20. Hirt, Richard I, Locust Valley Central Schools: $215,868
  21. Goldstein, George A, Sewanhaka Central Schools: $214,753
  22. Sirois, Herman A, Levittown Union Free Schools: $214,224
  23. Nathan, Richard B, Lindenhurst Public Schools: $211,585
  24. Finello, John J, Huntington Union Free Schools, SUNY at Stony Brook: $207,721
  25. Brooks, Martin G, Plainview-Old Bethpage Central Schools: $206,322
  26. Bolton, William R, Copiague Union Free Schools: $205,081
  27. Lederer, Neil, Lindenhurst Public Schools: $204,953
  28. Weiss, Kathy G, Baldwin Union Free Schools: $198,534
  29. Ehmann, Edward L, Smithtown Central Schools: $197,352
  30. Boyd-Bright, Maureen K, Hicksville Public Schools: $196,491
  31. Van Eyk, Jonathan P, Mount Sinai Union Free Schools: $196,131
  32. Caramore, Thomas J, Bellmore-Merrick Central Schools: $195,247
  33. Cronin, George T, Central Islip Union Free Schools: $194,389
  34. Smith, Lois M, Jericho Union Free Schools: $192,961
  35. Savaglio, Ernest G, Jr, Jericho Union Free Schools: $191,480
  36. Black, Leslie A, Brentwood Union Free Schools: $191,384
  37. Colvin, Joan L, Jericho Union Free Schools: $190,554
  38. Governale, Joseph R, Central Islip Union Free Schools: $190,355
  39. Mensch, Michael J, Suffolk 2 BOCES: $189,842
  40. Marsh, Richard S, Bethpage Union Free Schools: $189,178
  41. Pereira, Lawrence F, Massapequa Public Schools: $188,267
  42. Bonuso, Carl A, Wantagh Union Free Schools: $187,630
  43. Eisenberg, Carol D, West Hempstead Union Free Schools: $187,430
  44. Lison, Elizabeth J, Valley Stream #13 Union Free Schools: $187,283
  45. Bixhorn, Gary D, Eastern Suffolk 1 BOCES: $184,090
  46. Bernstein, Marc F, Valley Stream Central High School: $183,964
  47. Frontario, Louis S, Oceanside Union Free Schools: $183,304
  48. McDermott, Marylou, Northport-East Northport Union Free Schools: $182,496
  49. Segerdahl, Richard N, Island Trees Union Free Schools: $181,922
  50. Aloise, Robert W, North Babylon Union Free Schools: $181,592