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MPK Village Board gives go ahead to pay raises For the first time in seven years, the Mayor and Board of Trustees of the Village of Massapequa Park are due to receive pay increases. Following a public hearing last week, the part-time officials voted to increase their pay by 5 percent. They have not had a raise since 2000. Mayor James Altadonna, Jr., will earn $483.15 more, with his annual salary going from $9,663 to $10,146.15. Altadonna, who donates his salary back to the Village, says the raises weren't given in the past as the majority of the board decided that the stipend and benefits they received were sufficient. Joseph Pinto, Deputy Mayor, will see his annual salary go from $6,452.01 to $6,869.14. Trustees Harry Jacobson, Jeffrey Pravato and Teresa Spinosa will each get an additional $289.94 per year, increasing their salary from $5,798 to $6,087.94. In light of the recent media attention given to retirement health packages offered to hamlet municipal employees, some board members said they believed this small raise is the least they should be offered. In Massapequa Park, the health package amounts to about $13,000, if employees choose to take it. "I don't take the health benefits, which is far more money. It's only fair that we receive small stipend raises because we work so hard," said Trustee Teresa Spinosa, who added that much of the time she puts in is on a voluntary basis. Trustee Harry Jacobson agreed that the raise was nice, adding, "Although, if we didn't receive it, I would continue to do my work anyhow."
"We are the fifteenth largest Village in New York State; we needed these raises to remain competitive as employers," added Altadonna. "This modest increase helps to better acknowledge the position (of our trustees)."
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