Agency official says gubernatorial candidate doesn’t understand its role
When trying to balance the state budget, lawmakers look where to cut funding. Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Warren Redlich said he would start by dissolving the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
My campaign platform is you got to cut spending, said Redlich. `In my personal opinion, I think parks and teachers are more important than NYSERDA. When you add it all up, it is not worth what you are getting from them.`
Redlich said he did some research into the payroll of a number of state agencies and posted the results in a blog on his
campaign website
. He said NYSERDA stood out to him because its 2009 payroll was well over $19 million for its 284 employees. The average employee for 2009 was paid $67,700, while the average employee annual rate for the year was just over $76,000. The annual rate can be higher ` for example, an employee might have joined at some point after the fiscal year started.
The public benefit corporation, NYSERDA, was established in 1975, and early efforts focused only on reducing the state’s petroleum consumption. NYSERDA now focuses on helping the state reduce energy consumption, promoting renewable energy usage and protecting the environment. The agency is also involved in realizing Gov. David Paterson’s `45 by 15` initiative, which aims to have the state meet 45 percent of its electricity needs through clean and renewable resources and improved energy efficiency by 2015.
`We work to essentially facilitate the use of widespread technology to improve the state’s energy, economy and environment,` said Gordon. `We ensure that public money is spent to receive the maximum benefit for the ratepayers.`
The agency is currently funded through the System Benefits Charge placed upon state ratepayers. NYSERDA Spokesman Jeffrey Gordon said the SBC for residents is about $30 annually, with business ratepayers also contributing.
Redlich, in an e-mail, stated NYSERDA `has a stunning payroll filled with do-nothing job titles.`
Gordon responded in a prepared statement saying, `While Mr. Redlich may not understand NYSERDA’s operations or New York state’s critical energy needs, certainly the thousands of business owners that have benefited from NYSERDA programs understand the need to consume energy more prudently, and all New Yorkers understand the need to protect our environment for future generations. We invite Mr. Redlich to learn more about NYSERDA and the important work we’re doing to improve both New York’s economy and environment.`
Out of NYSERDA’s 2009 payroll there are 37 senior project managers, 40 project managers, 19 associate project managers, 25 assistant project managers, 24 project coordinators, 5 assistant project coordinators, 23 program managers and 14 directors amount to 187 employees or about 65 percent out of the total, according to
SeeThruNY.net
.
`Maybe it is just job title inflation. I don’t know how they are going to explain having that many people in those job titles,` said Redlich.
Gordon said the company mostly works on projects with other companies, so the amount of manager-related titles accounts for this purpose.
The pay rate for these employees also must be competitive with the current job market, said Gordon, because these aren’t entry-level positions. Gordon said their title series is comparable in pay to the civil service system’s rates, along with their title structure and responsibility.
`These people have significant opportunities in the private sector as well,` said Gordon. `You really need people who are at equal levels to speak their language and work with them in a collaborative fashion.`
A third of NYSERDA’s employees have master’s degrees, said Gordon, which is typically held in technical or specialized fields. The agency also deals with around 4,500 contracts annually totaling $450 million.
There are 28 more employees on NYSERDA’s current 2010 fiscal year payroll compared to 2009, according to information provided by the agency. The average employee annual rate for 2010 declined though by about $500 compared to the previous fiscal year.
Francis Murray, president of NYSERDA, holds the top salary in 2010 at $157,954.94. There are also 15 director positions ranging in annual pay from $109,831.02 to $140,864.10.
Increasing the agency to 313 employees was needed to meet the increasing demand for energy-efficient projects and development, said Gordon.
`As energy efficiency becomes more critical, the demand on our agency has grown to help meet the very ambitions energy reductions goals set by David Paterson,` said Gordon.
Redlich said he does believe some good is done by NYSERDA.
`There are some useful services that they provide that would be gone we have to cut somewhere, and we are in a situation where there are no good choices,` said Redlich. `When I say we need to eliminate an agency, I’m not saying that they don’t do good things.`
Gordon said he wants people to understand the value of NYSERDA. Its programs cover agriculture, commercial and industrial, residential, environment, transportation, geothermal heat pumps, power systems, bond financing, loan funds and New York Energy Smart.
`It was determined back in 1996 that [NYSERDA] is a public good and would be of value to the public to make sure these kind of activities continue,` said Gordon.“