Joe Robach is lying about pay raises

I guess Joe Robach is having a John Kerry moment. It looks like his flip flop of the day is being for raising his own pay before he was against it....

Sen. Joe Robach has a problem keeping his word on issues and legislation. There was the flip-flop on fair pay by Robach, who was in favor of fair pay but then failed to get it through the Senate. Robach also sponsored legislation that would reduce the impact of lead on children only to let that bill die in the Senate.

So it isn't too surprising that Robach has flip-flopped on yet another issue. This time, Robach has denied he ever voted or supported a pay raise even though there is evidence to the contrary.

Robach was on the radio today and was asked if he had ever voted for a pay raise. He said, "We did not do pay raise, I have never voted for a pay raise for myself, and I don't see that happening in the near future." However, Robach was one of the cosponsors for S5313, which would do the following:

Provides for annual increase in the compensation paid to the judges and justices of the unified court system and New York city housing judges; establishes commissions to annually determine the compensation payable to the governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller, attorney-general and state commissioners; provides for the biennial adjustment of the compensation payable to the members of the legislature; appropriates $48,200,000 for judicial pay raises.

The vote for S5313 was 34 to 24. Here is the tally:

04/30/07 S5313 Senate Vote Aye: 34 Nay: 24

Nay Adams Aye Alesi Aye Bonacic Nay Breslin
Aye Bruno Nay Connor Aye DeFrancisco Aye Diaz
Nay Dilan Nay Duane Aye Farley Aye Flanagan
Aye Fuschillo Aye Golden Nay Gonzalez Aye Griffo
Aye Hannon Exc Hassell-Thompson Exc Huntley Nay Johnson C
Aye Johnson O Nay Klein Nay Krueger Exc Kruger
Aye Lanza Aye Larkin Aye LaValle Aye Leibell
Aye Libous Aye Little Aye Maltese Aye Marcellino
Aye Maziarz Nay Montgomery Aye Morahan Aye Nozzolio
Exc Onorato Nay Oppenheimer Aye Padavan Nay Parker
Nay Perkins Aye Rath Aye Robach Nay Sabini
Aye Saland Nay Sampson Nay Savino Nay Schneiderman
Nay Serrano Aye Seward Aye Skelos Nay Smith
Nay Stachowski Nay Stavisky Nay Stewart-Cousins Nay Thompson
Aye Trunzo Nay Valesky Aye Volker Aye Winner
Aye Wright Aye Young

There you have it. Robach did in fact support a pay raise for legislators. He can deny his support for it (like he has done time and time again with other issues) but this is on record. And not only did he express his support for it, he voted in support for a pay raise.

The people of SD-56 have a choice to make. Do they really want two more years of flip-flopping and voting against the best interests of the district? Do they want two more years of Joe Robach and his "changes with the weather" legislative style?

We need leaders, not flip-floppers. We also need to be told the truth, not lies about one's record as a legislator.

I'm sick of having a State Senator who thinks we're all dumb.