Malloy veto blocks double-dipping on municipal pensions

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy vetoed a bill Friday that could have allowed the mayor of East Haven to resume double-dipping by collecting a disability pension as a former firefighter while being paid $75,000 as mayor.

Malloy’s veto message did not refer to the controversy over East Haven Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr., whose pension status was the subject of a recent story in the Hartford Courant.

“Under this bill, retirees would be able to continue collecting full retirement benefits and receive compensation for full time employment,” Malloy wrote.

Maturo had been collecting a $40,000 annual pension until the payments were suspended after he won election as mayor in November 2011.

State officials in the comptroller’s office, which administers the Municipal Employees’ Retirement System, said he could not collect the pension while on the municipal payroll.

The bill Malloy vetoed would have allowed the collection of a municipal pension if the employee was not in a municipal position that qualified him for additional pension benefits.

“I believe this bill would impose an undue burden on municipalities and is inconsistent with the purpose of the municipal retirement system, which is intended to provide assistance to our retirees and not current employees,” Malloy wrote.

The bill was the second Malloy has vetoed in 2013. He has signed 192 bills.