Nassau police union president announces retirement
Longtime Nassau PBA president Gary DelaRaba, who negotiated contracts that resulted in Nassau police being among the highest paid in the nation, has announced his plans to retire from the department and the union May 17.
"It's time to move on and let the next generation take over," he said Friday.
DelaRaba, 57, started as a cadet in the police department more than 37 years ago. He was elected president of the Nassau Patrolmen's Benevolent Association in July 1988, after being an officer of the union since 1976.
DelaRaba, 57, started as a cadet in the police department more than 37 years ago.
The county comptroller reports that DelaRaba earns $159,830 annually, which includes his regular police salary, longevity pay and other payments.
Some have called DelaRaba the most successful labor leader on Long Island because of the generous contract concessions he won his members, including average pay that tops $100,000 a year.
"I'll leave it to other people to make that assessment," DelaRaba said. "I'm just a street cop who got lucky enough to represent these guys."
And he represented them well, said Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey.
"Gary, in my view, has set the standard for labor in the area of law enforcement," Mulvey said. "He's emulated across the state, and probably the country. It's been rocky, at times, with the administration. But at the end of the day, in all honesty, it's better for it, and better for him being involved as a union leader."
DelaRaba said the toughest part of the job is "trying to balance the needs for what's good for the police officer, what's good for the county and what's good for the residents."
In 2000, Newsday reported that the contract DelaRaba negotiated with former Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta in 1992 provided the foundation for much of Nassau's then-fiscal crisis by boosting police pay in many ways.
But DelaRaba said escalating police pay didn't cause the Nassau's fiscal breakdown, saying that police costs have made up the same percentage of the county budget for the past 45 years.
Although he likes to golf in North Carolina, DelaRaba said he plans to stay on Long Island after he retires.
He said there will be a union election within the next two weeks to pick his successor. DelaRaba said he is endorsing James Carver, PBA first vice president, for the job.
Staff writer Zachary R. Dowdy contributed to this story.
The Gary DelaRaba file
1988 Upsets incumbent PBA president Wayne McMorrow in a campaign that promises to get police "the best contract possible."
1989 Successfully lobbies for new bullet-proof vests for police and new 9-mm semiautomatic pistols to replace .38 caliber revolvers.
1992 Signs new contract with former County Executive Thomas Gulotta with terms that lead to rapid escalation in police pay.
1994 Secures steady shifts for police officers and minimum staffing, fulfilling campaign promises.
2001 Average police officer's pay passes $100,000 a year for the first time; average termination pay hits $221,682, nearly double the 1996 average.
2007 Signs new police contract with County Executive Thomas Suozzi that boosts veteran officers' base salary to $116,955 by the end of 2012, but slows the growth of rookies' salaries while capping termination pay.
May 2008 To retire after representing about 8,000 officers for nearly 20 years.
Posted Saturday, March 8, 2008
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