Countywide : Attorney to Quit Retirement Board

Attorney Gregory J. Politiski, who serves what some critics claim are conflicting roles in the county employees’ retirement system, will apparently resign shortly from the nine-member retirement board.

Although Politiski said Tuesday that he has neither submitted his resignation nor set a date to step down, retirement board member Robert L. Citron said his colleague’s resignation had been discussed and will take place early next month.

Citron, who also serves as the county’s tax collector-treasurer, said Politiski was resigning after nearly 20 years on the board because of a “perceived conflict of interest,” in that he serves as both a disability hearing examiner and a member of the board.

Politiski would not comment on whether he was resigning from the board, but he did say he wanted to remain a disability hearing officer.

The 55-year-old Politiski was appointed to the retirement board in 1971 by former Supervisor Ralph Clark. Along with some pending legal cases, his job as a hearing examiner is a major source of income, Politiski said. According to county Auditor-Controller Steven E. Lewis, Politiski earned $17,270 last year as a hearing examiner.

Citron said Politiski’s dual role as hearing examiner and board member has come under fire by some attorneys whose clients’ disability claims were rejected by Politiski. Citron said he had no problem with Politiski’s being both a hearing officer and board member.

Politiski, three other board members and the retirement fund administrator, Mary-Jean Hackwood, were all part of a controversial European business trip earlier this year that was billed to the county.

Some members of the County Board of Supervisors called charges of opera tickets, limousines and liquor “outrageous.”

The county retirement system covers 16,000 employees and administers a $1.6-billion pension fund.