NJ “Public Servant” Lands Sixth Government Job, Total Salary Approaching $300,000

The city of Highlands, New
Jersey hired Patrick DeBlasio to be its chief financial officer, a
part time job for which he’ll have no minimum hours and won’t have
to show up at the office, paying him $40,000 a year. It’s no mere
double dip for DeBlasio, it’s actually his sixth government job. He
was paid $244,606 last year, nearly $70,000 more than the state’s
government. He holds five other jobs in four municipalities,
including full time work as CFO of Cartaret, NJ, as well as a part
time job with the town’s school district.

“N.J.
public servant gets 6th public job, among highest-paid in the
state,” read the Star-Ledger’s headline, yet stories
like this punctuate what a joke the term “public servant” is and
why it belonges in quotes. For people like DeBlasio, it seems a lot
more like a well-paying racket than anything approaching
“service.”