DA Fitzpatrick: NY state won’t let me collect pension and pay yet [Video]

Syracuse, NY – Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick may not be double-dipping his pension and paycheck, after all.

Fitzpatrick confirmed that he can’t collect a pension after filing retirement papers Dec. 31 because there was no break in his government employment, as required.

If Fitzpatrick had qualified for a pension, he would have been due roughly $116,000 a year, before deductions for spousal benefits, according to a calculation by the Empire Center, a public policy group. The DA’s yearly salary was $182,500 in 2017.

When news of Fitzpatrick’s retirement filing broke Jan. 10, the state Comptroller’s Office told Syracuse.com it was reviewing his application.

After the news site pressed the office, a spokeswoman said Jan. 20, “Yes, he will receive a pension once it is finalized.”

But Fitzpatrick says now he won’t be able to collect a pension right away. “…  I cannot collect my pension until there is a break in my service,” he said via email.

Fitzpatrick is in the middle of term. He’s next up …