Records Say Eight Superintendents Living at Luxe, State-Owned Mansions for Low Cost

BY Kenneth Lovett
DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF

Sunday, January 31st 2010, 4:00 AM

ALBANY - Prison inmates aren't the only
ones getting taxpayer-funded housing.

At least eight prison superintendents are
living in the lap of luxury at low cost in
state-owned mansions located on or near
the prison premises, according to state
records.

At least one has a lake view.

The best part for the superintendents, who
top out at nearly $145,000 a year, is they
pay a pittance for the posh
accommodations.

State Sens. Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx) and 
Diane Savino (D-Staten Island) said it's time
to revisit the arrangement given the cash-
strapped state's fiscal problems.
 
"These superintendents live basically for
free in large and luxurious homes where
they don't have to worry about having to
pay property taxes," Klein said.

Klein and Savino examined the housing in a
report to be released today targeting
savings at the state Correctional Services
Department, which boasts at least 22
warden houses.

Shawangunk Correctional Facility
Superintendent Joseph Smith lives in a
6,968-square-foot home located at
nearby Wallkill Correctional in Ulster County
, according to the Klein and Savino report
and other records.

Smith, who makes $144,574 a year, pays
the state $511.54 a month, according to
Correctional Services Department records.

The most any superintendent pays for
housing is Joseph Bellnier of Marcy
Correctional Facility. Earning $120,279 a
year, Bellnier has just $373.40 deducted
from his check every two weeks for housing
- or $9,708 a year.

"We shouldn't be subsidizing
superintendents of prisons," Klein said.