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New Jersey assemblyman gets 15 percent pay increase in Paterson school district job | Paterson Times

New Jersey assemblyman gets 15 percent pay increase in Paterson school district job

Benjie-Wimberly

A New Jersey assemblyman received a significant pay increase at his Paterson school district job this year, according to payroll records.

Benjie Wimberly’s salary increased from $147,105 to $169,778, according to district records, a whopping $22,600 raise.

Wimberly represents district 35, which includes Paterson, in the New Jersey Assembly. He is also the deputy speaker of the Assembly.

“Mr. Wimberly has been working at Paterson Public Schools for 32 years, providing excellent recreational programs for the youth of Paterson. At the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year, Mr. Wimberly received the perennial 3 percent salary increment to his base salary that all employees in good standing receive, plus longevity to bring his total compensation to $151,678,” said Paul Brubaker, spokesman for superintendent Eileen Shafer. “Mr. Wimberly’s former title of Site Coordinator has been corrected to Director of Recreational Activities. As a result, $13,600 was added to his base salary. He also receives $10,900 in longevity, which makes his current compensation $169,778.”

Brubaker did not say why a title correction was necessary or when the pay increase was given. Wimberly runs the city’s division of recreation as part of a shared services agreement between the municipal government and the district.

“We found out he wasn’t getting his longevity pay,” said school board president Kenneth Simmons.

Simmons said the issue started when Wimberly was on the City Council. He was paid by the district for 10 months and the city for 2 months. After he was elected to the council, the city could no longer pay him, so the district ended up paying for the full 12 months. His title was director of recreation, but when he was over his title was recreation coordinator.

How did the district discover the issue?

“I think there was a question about his longevity,” said Simmons. “I’m not sure who asked the question. I just got the explanation.”

Wimberly is known for having influence over the majority faction in the Board of Education. For example, late last week he endorsed three incumbent school board members seeking reelection in November.

Wimberly did not respond to a call for comment for this story.

Last year, the Shafer administration gave a 13 percent pay increase to assemblywoman Shavonda Sumter’s husband Kenneth Sumter.

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  • Javi Chino Vargas

    Paterson tax payers at work…the joke of the week

  • HankMorgan

    The district is in deep crisis. Unsafe buildings, understaffing and inadequate food services for students. They’re is not excuse for throwing tens of thousands of dollars at these already very highly compensated politically appointed consultants. Shame!

  • MarquinhoGaucho

    No show job for a useless political hack. Disgusting

    • OBED SANTOS

      I'll bet you vote Socialist every election though…

      • MarquinhoGaucho

        At least I CAN vote because I'm not a registered felon like you

        • HankMorgan

          Ha!

          • OBED SANTOS

            Ha what you upvoted an illegal invader lol

          • HankMorgan

            Ha. At least he can write a coherent and properly punctuated sentence.

          • Nat Turner

            You need to check your original comment for grammatical errors and the misuse of words. Lmao

          • HankMorgan

            Misuse of words. Yessssz

          • OBED SANTOS

            Check your original comment lmfao you must be a product of the PPS system lolol.

          • HankMorgan

            Lol. Can’t argue. I do hope you recover your fuckin’ ass. Otherwise, as usual, it’s mine.

        • OBED SANTOS

          I've never received so much as a parking ticket. What's your immigration status?

          • MarquinhoGaucho

            To quote the immortal words of poet laureate Cheech Marin "Hey man, I was born in East L.A"

  • Justice Forall

    The school district is scarcely in an ethical or financial position to be paying the salary of an individual “working” for or providing services to the city. The district can call this arrangement a shared-services agreement but this clever term hardly legitimizes an arrangement which simply benefits the Assemblyman and perhaps the city. That the Assemblyman is said to exercise influence over the Board (and the very weak Superintendent) is yet further evidence of the very questionable nature of this arrangement.

    • HankMorgan

      “Very weak”? Eileen Shafer is as corrupt as they come. Clearly under qualified (former gym teacher, no Ph.D) she slid into her job because of her slimy political associations and her willingness to dismantle Paterson Public Schools in the interests of establishing charter schools and the gobs of money with which they enriched her pockets and those of her “friends.”

  • OBED SANTOS

    How many gubment jobs is ever enough for these thieves?

  • J. Brown.

    13% ? That's more than most D.P.W worker's make in a year.

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