A personal secretary to the head of the city's Business Integrity Commission received three pay raises in 7 months in a special arrangement that allowed her to work for the city but be paid by the Queens DA's office. According to the Daily News, secretary Hope Kennedy, who worked under Mike Mansfield, started out at $68K when she was hired in August of 2007. By May of 2008, Kennedy was making $115K. "I worked for the Queens DA, and the DA approved my going to BIC, and I remained on the DA's payroll," Kennedy said. Somewhere, the Premier of the Coalition to Abolish
Administrative Professionals Day is stroking his beard and cackling.
The Business Integrity Commission stamps out mafia ties and illegal activity within the city's carting, fish, and produce industries. Even though Kennedy, who lives on Long Island, was working in her capacity for the city she was still technically employed by the Queens DA's office. This allowed her to avoid residency requirements. "Everybody knew where I lived. Everybody knew my address," she says. A spokesperson for the mayor said the arrangement was created because Kennedy would have been forced to forego her civil service benefits for what was a temporary gig (she left in 2008.) We can only think of one secretary who had a sweeter deal.
