Man paid $93803 to do NOTHING - 02/07/09 11:18 AM
N.Y. employee is paid $93,803 to sit, do nothing
Friday, February 6, 2009 3:00 AM
By James M. Odato
ALBANY (N.Y.) TIMES UNION
ALBANY, N.Y. -- As he tells it, Randall Hinton spends much of his workday at the New York State Insurance Fund donning headphones and listening to rock 'n' roll, blues or classical tunes -- and his superiors are cool with that.
His work agenda, for which he is paid $93,803 a year, involves placing his feet up on his desk, staring out his office window and counting cars on the New York State Thruway. He arrives at 7:30 a.m., leaves at 3:30 p.m., sees no one and talks to no one.
He never does any work. It's been this way for Hinton for most of this decade.
"I just sit here," said Hinton, 55, of Niskayuna, N.Y., a
27-year state employee who has held several high-level posts at various agencies.
A member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, he said he is being discriminated against because of his national origin and retaliated against for having sued the state.
Since February 2002, Hinton has been director of investigations for the Insurance Fund, but he said he never has been allowed to investigate anything. He's unproductive at work because his superiors are blackballing him, he and his former boss say.
Hinton says he is without a portfolio as retaliation for suing Gov. George Pataki's administration 10 years ago, alleging discrimination then, too. That was after getting assigned to a storeroom for two years for refusing to leave his post at the Department of Environmental Conservation heading investigations to make room for a Republican appointee, he said.
In a January 2002 settlement in his suit, he was guaranteed state employment as a director of investigations.
Court papers show the stipulation promised Hinton his post at the Insurance Fund. They gave him a job and an office but told his boss not to let Hinton handle anything of substance, according to Hinton and his former manager.
On Monday, Hinton filed a complaint with the Division of Human Rights claiming discrimination stemming from the retaliation of his original claim against the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Hinton said he's treated as a second-class employee with fewer resources than even the lowliest Insurance Fund worker. "I have no Internet access, no printer, no laptop, no car. Every day it's a struggle for me to bring in something I haven't read or listened to. I can tell you how many white cars pass on the Thruway. ... I can't take it anymore."
His former boss at the Insurance Fund, Edward Obertubbesing, backed up Hinton's story. He said Hinton is being victimized by GOP superiors who don't want him doing much.
"I think it is because he had the gall to sue Gov. Pataki and he had a high-profile job in a Democratic administration," said Obertubbesing, now an Insurance Fund lawyer. "Quite honestly, it bothered me."
He said Hinton thought things would improve when Eliot Spitzer became governor, but the Democratic administrations of Spitzer and Gov. David Paterson have not broken the pattern set by the Pataki holdovers still at the helm of the Insurance Fund.
A Paterson spokesman did not comment on the matter.
The man and his old boss say he's given
no work in retaliation for suing former Gov. George Pataki.
Do you believe this guy. I know there will be people that say they know where this guy is coming from but if you can't entertain yourself for 94k you are a sad,sad person.
Friday, February 6, 2009 3:00 AM
By James M. Odato
ALBANY (N.Y.) TIMES UNION
ALBANY, N.Y. -- As he tells it, Randall Hinton spends much of his workday at the New York State Insurance Fund donning headphones and listening to rock 'n' roll, blues or classical tunes -- and his superiors are cool with that.
His work agenda, for which he is paid $93,803 a year, involves placing his feet up on his desk, staring out his office window and counting cars on the New York State Thruway. He arrives at 7:30 a.m., leaves at 3:30 p.m., sees no one and talks to no one.
He never does any work. It's been this way for Hinton for most of this decade.
"I just sit here," said Hinton, 55, of Niskayuna, N.Y., a
27-year state employee who has held several high-level posts at various agencies.
A member of the Passamaquoddy Tribe, he said he is being discriminated against because of his national origin and retaliated against for having sued the state.
Since February 2002, Hinton has been director of investigations for the Insurance Fund, but he said he never has been allowed to investigate anything. He's unproductive at work because his superiors are blackballing him, he and his former boss say.
Hinton says he is without a portfolio as retaliation for suing Gov. George Pataki's administration 10 years ago, alleging discrimination then, too. That was after getting assigned to a storeroom for two years for refusing to leave his post at the Department of Environmental Conservation heading investigations to make room for a Republican appointee, he said.
In a January 2002 settlement in his suit, he was guaranteed state employment as a director of investigations.
Court papers show the stipulation promised Hinton his post at the Insurance Fund. They gave him a job and an office but told his boss not to let Hinton handle anything of substance, according to Hinton and his former manager.
On Monday, Hinton filed a complaint with the Division of Human Rights claiming discrimination stemming from the retaliation of his original claim against the Department of Environmental Conservation.
Hinton said he's treated as a second-class employee with fewer resources than even the lowliest Insurance Fund worker. "I have no Internet access, no printer, no laptop, no car. Every day it's a struggle for me to bring in something I haven't read or listened to. I can tell you how many white cars pass on the Thruway. ... I can't take it anymore."
His former boss at the Insurance Fund, Edward Obertubbesing, backed up Hinton's story. He said Hinton is being victimized by GOP superiors who don't want him doing much.
"I think it is because he had the gall to sue Gov. Pataki and he had a high-profile job in a Democratic administration," said Obertubbesing, now an Insurance Fund lawyer. "Quite honestly, it bothered me."
He said Hinton thought things would improve when Eliot Spitzer became governor, but the Democratic administrations of Spitzer and Gov. David Paterson have not broken the pattern set by the Pataki holdovers still at the helm of the Insurance Fund.
A Paterson spokesman did not comment on the matter.
The man and his old boss say he's given
no work in retaliation for suing former Gov. George Pataki.
Do you believe this guy. I know there will be people that say they know where this guy is coming from but if you can't entertain yourself for 94k you are a sad,sad person.
to me the choice is a no brainer 
