Politics on the Hudson

One side note to my story Sunday about the Westchester County Legislature’s “new staffing system”:http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070211/NEWS02/702110360/1026/NEWS10, which gives each legislator $50,000 apiece for personal staff.

The story should have probably made it clearer that lawmakers have the year to spend the money. So even if they have only hired a part-time person now, there’s nothing to keep them from spending the rest of the money later on an additional aide, or a short-term consultant, or the like. As the story does make clear, some have already made plans for their entire allotment.

We’ll keep watching to see how it all works out. In the meantime, your thoughts are welcome…