The $35G Staff Retreat
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- July
- 31
To follow up on our story in today’s papers about Gov. Paterson’s apparent lack of frugality in his own office, despite wanting to cut $1.2 billion from the current state budget, here’s another tidbit.
Soon after he took office, the executive chamber took 35 staffers on a two-day retreat at the picturesque Rensselaerville Meeting Center (seen left) outside Albany.
The cost: $35,000, according to state records.
Paterson’s office said that the retreat was for “organizational development given the abrupt transition from one administration to the next.”
And aides said Paterson didn’t have the benefit of $500,000 in the state budget for the gubernatorial transition when former Gov. Eliot Spitzer took office in January 2007.
So Paterson had to make due with the money in the enacted state budget. And overall the executive chamber has only entered into five contracts since Paterson took over March 17—two are for D&D Consulting Inc. for web hosting and other services, totaling about $93,000.
The biggest contract was to hire Schlam, Stone and & Dolan LLP, which is representing the governor’s office in the judges’ pay raise lawsuit. That contract is for $300,000.
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on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 at 6:06 pm by Joseph Spector.
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$500 per day per person. A little steep for an upstate conference. But, compared to Spitzer, wow!
So Paterson had to make due with the money in the enacted state budget. And overall the executive chamber has only entered into five contracts since Paterson took over March 17—two are for D&D Consulting Inc. for web hosting and other services, totaling about $93,000.
35 staffers can meet, and accomplish as much, at the gym at SUNY Albany. A coffee pot, four bottles of Diet Coke on each table, donuts and napkins.