At Least 11 Other Judicial Employees Already Drawing $100k+ Pensions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 6, 2015
At Least 11 Other Judicial Employees Already Drawing $100k+ Pensions
Some have contributed $ ZERO $ to their retirements

Providence, RI — As follow-up to an article in the Providence Journal today about three soon to be retired judges who will draw high six figure annual pensions, at least 11 other judicial employees are already drawing taxpayer funded pensions at this level, some of whom have not contributed even a single dime to their own retirements. This according to information posted on RIOpenGov.org, the government transparency website of the RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity.

According to information filtered from the interactive transparency website, eleven judicial employees are known to have collected $100k or more in pension payments in 2013. One such retiree, former Superior Court judge Judith Savage is not listed as having made any individual contributions to her plan. Further, Savage is estimated to receive a total lifetime benefit of about $3.4 million, the highest such liability among all state retirees, which would be 100% funded on the back of taxpayers.

Statewide, 13 current retirees are projected to receive lifetime benefits exceeding $3 million: 6 former workers from the State; 4 from the State Police; 2 from the Judicial system; and 1 from the Woonsocket School Department. Two retirees from this group made zero individual contributions to their retirement.

Also according to the data listed on RIOpenGov.org, another former judicial employee, Bruce Morin from the Workers Compensation Court, who retired in 2011, pulled in $172,330 in 2013 – the highest amount among all state retirees from all departments. Further, the next three top 2013 pension payments in the entire state were made to former judges; Howard Lipsey (2008, $167.3k), Walter Gorman (2008, $161k), and Albert Ciullo (2013, $160.9k). Morin is projected to receive the 2nd highest total lifetime retirement benefit.

“As yet another unfair result of overly generous collective bargaining and state employment provisions, the average family is being forced to support exorbitant benefits for the select few,” commented Mike Stenhouse, CEO for the Center. “Rhode Islanders need to start understanding that government is not the friend of the little guy, but rather is geared to benefit well-connected insiders and cronies.”
Media Contact:
Mike Stenhouse, CEO
401.429.6115 | info@rifreedom.org

About the Center

The nonpartisan RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity is Rhode Island’s premiere free-enterprise think tank. The mission of the 501c3 nonprofit organization is to return government to the people by opposing special-interest politics and advancing proven free-market solutions that can transform lives by restoring economic competitiveness, increasing educational opportunities, and protecting individual freedoms.