BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Western Regional Off-Track Betting president and CEO, Henry Wojtaszek, is leaving the public gambling agency at the end of the year, as first reported by the Investigative Post.
According to an OTB spokesperson, during a Board of Directors meeting Thursday, the board voted 14-1 to buy Wojtaszek out of his contract.
According to the Investigative Post, Wojtaszek earns a salary of $287,000. This salary is more than what Governor Kathy Hochul makes, which is $250,000.
The board approved a resolution that states Wojtaszek will have his full year's salary to be paid out on December 15.
7 News requested to see the resolution which was not made available online under the board's agenda.
The board also approved buying out the contracts of William White, the vice president of operations, and Jackie Leach, the chief financial officer.
Leach and White will receive a half-year's salary also paid out on December 15. Both will leave OTB next year.
Yet, there has been concern regarding the pay of some of the top employees for OTB.
Assemblymember Monica Wallace questions whether the board's move to pay out these executives is legal under the Severance Pay Limitation Act. It sets limits severance packages to equal three months' salary for public at-will employees.
"This is taxpayer money that we're talking about," Wallace said. "If they go ahead and pay this, what I call a golden parachute or severance packages exorbitant severance package in violation of the law that I passed several years ago in response to a different abuse of authority — I would say that the Comptroller, the Attorney General, and the governor should all be asking questions."
According to the Investigative Post, these employees — including Wojtaszek — received two raises within the past year.
"The year that he knows he's going to retire in and that he knows he's that his last year of service is going to be used that salary is going to be used to calculate his pension benefits seems to be really an abuse of his position," Wallace said.
Meantime, Wallace said she believes the board should rethink this decision.
"And even if it's not illegal, which I think it is, it's just a bad idea generally," she said.
Last year, Wallace said in a press release that she had serious concerns about the validity of the contract extensions and pay increase for those top employees.
"He is just one of numerous OTB executives earning sweetheart, six-figure salaries on the public's dime," Wallace said in a press release.
According to the release, collectively, the contracts cost OTB more than $2.1 million each year, which comes straight from taxpayers.
Wojtaszek started with the public gambling agency in 2010 and later became the CEO in 2016.
His last day with the agency will be December 31.
