Tom Gilbert never really retired, but he collects a $93,380-a-year state pension.
The commander of the Atlantic City Tourism District “retired” last year, though only on paper. He remains on duty — and on the Attorney General’s payroll with an $80,620 state salary.
Instead of one state check, Gilbert now gets two — a jackpot totaling nearly $174,000 a year — thanks to the Attorney General’s office, which has a history of turning its favored employees into double-dippers.
A New Jersey Watchdog investigation in December revealed 23 of the Attorney General’s investigators and supervisors have collared $14 million in retirement pay — an average of $600,000 each — while still working for the Attorney General. Like Gilbert, two-thirds of them retired for one day or less.
Gilbert began his career in 1982 as a state trooper. Over the next three decades, he rose to #2 in command at the New Jersey State Police. His salary as lieutenant colonel and deputy superintendent was $122,526.
He kept that rank when he was assigned as commander of the Atlantic City Tourism District in spring 2011. In hopes of cutting crime and luring more visitors, a new law created the district. It also gave the State Police authority to appoint a district commander to oversee plans for public safety around the casinos, boardwalk and other tourist attractions.
Gilbert retired from the State Police at age 52, effective Sept. 1, 2011. The same day he was back at work as tourism district commander. However, state records now list him as sergeant investigator for the Division of Criminal Justice. Both DCJ and the State Police are divisions of Law and Public Safety Department, headed by the Attorney General.
The immediate net result was a $51,474 annual raise for Gilbert. Although his state salary decreased by $41,906, he started collecting a $93,380 state pension.
That’s not all. For pension purposes, Gilbert’s final salary was reported as $134,200. That boost increased his pension benefit by roughly $8,000 a year for the rest of his life. He also pocketed $15,000 in unused sick leave for a job he never actually left.
Gilbert could not be reached for comment.
The Attorney General’s office offered a different version of events. Spokesman Paul Loriquet denied that Gilbert served as tourism district commander before his retirement.
“He was never working as district commander when he was at the State Police,” Loriquet told New Jersey Watchdog. “That is inaccurate.”
But as early as April 2011, Gilbert was on duty in Atlantic City, identifying himself as tourism district commander in press interviews and posing for photographs.
Loriquet also claimed the job did not exist until September 2011. “The position availed itself after he opted to retire out of the State Police,” he said. “He officially became district commander after he was hired by DCJ.”
In contrast, Gilbert announced in mid-August that he was retiring from the State Police but staying as district commander.
“All the things we’ve been doing, we’re going to continue to do,” Gilbert told the Press of Atlantic City. The quote appeared in a story headlined: “Tourism District commander to retire from State Police but keep his Atlantic City post.”
Loriquet said former Attorney General Paula Dow curtailed the practice of rehiring retired state officers in January 2010, but she made an exception for Gilbert because of his “specific expertise.”
“We thought it was a bargain to hire Tom,” said Loriquet.
It’s also a great deal for Gilbert, but not the pension fund. The revolving door of retired and rehired state employees is a controversial practice that drains money from the retirement system, already underfunded by $36 billion according to the State Treasury.
Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa, who took office in January, plans to restrict the rehiring of retirees, said Loriquet. But like Dow, Chiesa does not want the policy to become a state regulation, the spokesman added. As a regulation, attorneys general would be required to obey it.
Dow and Chiesa were appointed by Gov. Chris Christie. Chiesa previously worked as Christie’s chief counsel.
Including Tom Gilbert, there are 24 “retired and rehired” investigators working for the Attorney General, according to New Jersey Watchdog’s investigation. Seventeen had been retired less than a week before they were rehired. (See chart below.)
The two-dozen double-dippers collect $3.95 million a year — $1.66 million a year in pension pay plus $2.29 million in state salaries. On average, they each pocket $164,570 a year — $95,575 in salary and nearly $68,995 from pension.
Mark Lagerkvist writes for New Jersey Watchdog, a project of the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity.
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THE ATTORNEY GENERAL’S TWO-DOZEN DOUBLE-DIPPERS
| Last | First | Total/Yr | Salary/Yr | Pension/Yr | Length of |
| Retirement | |||||
| Hess | Edgar | $ 196,288 | $ 116,128 | $ 80,160 | 1 day |
| Morris | Paul | $ 195,779 | $ 114,647 | $ 81,132 | 1 day |
| Zichello | Nicholas | $ 186,570 | $ 99,618 | $ 86,952 | 1 day |
| Quirk | Edward | $ 181,573 | $ 112,249 | $ 69,324 | 1 day |
| Gilbert | Thomas | $ 173,992 | $ 80,620 | $ 93,372 | 1 day |
| Smith | John | $ 172,149 | $ 95,037 | $ 77,112 | 1 day |
| Weidman | Frederick | $ 171,886 | $ 101,446 | $ 70,440 | 1 day |
| Salzmann | David | $ 170,298 | $ 97,458 | $ 72,840 | 11 mos 2 wks |
| Lane | Richard | $ 170,052 | $ 84,684 | $ 85,368 | 1 day |
| Mai | Mark | $ 168,347 | $ 97,139 | $ 71,208 | 2 yrs 6 mos |
| Loufik | Richard | $ 165,257 | $ 87,581 | $ 77,676 | 1 day |
| Kendig | Patrick | $ 165,130 | $ 100,810 | $ 64,320 | 5 mos 2 wks |
| Drummond | Alan | $ 164,722 | $ 100,810 | $ 63,912 | 1 day |
| Saiia | Joseph | $ 163,934 | $ 78,890 | $ 85,044 | 6 days |
| Macciocca | Donald | $ 161,489 | $ 87,581 | $ 73,908 | 1 day |
| Rozwadowski | Ronald | $ 161,170 | $ 100,810 | $ 60,360 | 1 day |
| Kent | Robert | $ 159,874 | $ 100,810 | $ 59,064 | 5 days |
| Davis | William | $ 159,161 | $ 87,581 | $ 71,580 | 1 day |
| Carlin | Richard | $ 157,990 | $ 100,810 | $ 57,180 | 3 yrs |
| Royle | Michael | $ 153,601 | $ 89,533 | $ 64,068 | 1 day |
| Sheeran | John | $ 145,337 | $ 87,581 | $ 57,756 | 1 day |
| Saunders | William | $ 143,689 | $ 92,917 | $ 50,772 | 2 mos 20 days |
| Bacsik | Kenneth | $ 138,625 | $ 89,533 | $ 49,092 | 2 yrs 4 mos |
| Crescenz | Charles | $ 122,785 | $ 89,533 | $ 33,252 | 7 yrs 4 mos |
| TOTAL | $3,949,698 | $2,293,806 | $1,655,892 | ||
| AVERAGE | $ 164,570 | $ 95,575 | $ 68,995 |
New Jersey Watchdog’s research focused on current employees of the New Jersey Office of Attorney General and Division of Criminal Justice who draw state pensions while collecting salaries exceeding $75,000 a year. Data are from pension, payroll and personnel records obtained from the New Jersey Department of Treasury and New Jersey Civil Service Commission under the state Open Public Records Act. It was supplemented with information from governmental databases. Pension and salary amounts are current as of December 2011.
