Letter Writer Had It Wrong on Ormsby Pay Raise

Kevin Ormsby

In a lengthy, September 5, "ten point" letter to the editor of the Niagara Gazette, Michelle Krolewski, a Democratic committee person, and financial supporter of Mayor Paul Dyster, slammed council candidate Sam Fruscione.

Along the way, and under her ninth point, she claimed that Fruscione "hired his political crony to become the new council secretary...Fruscione then raised the salary of the position by $20,000."

The "crony" Krolewski referred to is current council secretary Kevin Ormsby, a former public relation’s aide to Mayor Dyster.

From 2008-2012, Ormsby wrote the mayor’s press releases, his media quotes, proclamations, other materials and served as staff to the tourism board and worked on special events.

"When I read I had received a $20,000 pay increase I thought it was a simple mistake," Ormsby told the Reporter. "Now it looks malicious. The lie was printed - and that can happen - but fair play demands a correction."

Ormsby claims he never received any raise, much less a raise in the amount of $20,000.

The Reporter submitted a foil request for salaries working at City Hall, including Ormsby.

Krolewski was wrong.

The claim of a $20,000 pay increase for Ormsby is utterly false.

The true facts are that Ormsby’s job was removed from the 2013 budget by Dyster last year, and the City Council voted to hire him to replace the retiring council secretary, Geri Mondi.

On page 10 of the 2013 Niagara Falls Adopted Budget, Ormsby's pay is the same as the pay for his former position in 2012: $46,000.

Which raises the question: where did Krolewski get the notion that Fruscione awarded Ormsby a $20,000 raise?

It is true that Mondi made $41,000 in the council secretary job, compared to Ormsby’s $46,000.

And giving Krolewski the very best benefit of the doubt, by saying that when the council allowed Ormsby to move to that position at his old rate of pay, which was $5,000 higher than what Mondi, the retiring secretary, got, then one might say the pay for the position was raised by $5,000.

But $5,000 is not $20,000.

And Ormsby himself received no raise.

Krolewski has demonstrated she is rather a careless and uninformed writer or worse.

So just for the record: No, Michelle, Ormsby did not get a raise and the position he assumed didn't get a $20,000 raise either, which leaves only a final point: Next time, before you write, get your facts straight.