Ex-Lynn library trustee targeted in probe

LYNN – Spotty attendance 25 years ago at public library trustee meetings may cost former Trustee Linda Bassett all or part of the $2,900 annual pension she receives for holding the unpaid, volunteer post.The Retirement Board voted Wednesday to invite Bassett, a Marblehead resident and part-time college teacher, to defend her pension before the board May 26.”The minutes of Lynn library trustee meetings indicate that although you were listed as a trustee from December 8, 1980 to September 25, 1986, the last meeting that you attended was on March 8, 1984 and you missed 12 out of the 24 meetings held from 1981 through 1983,” Board Chairman Michael Marks wrote in a letter sent to Bassett Wednesday.Board Executive Director Gary Brenner told Marks and fellow members Wednesday the board has the basis for taking action if it confirms Bassett did not meet her obligation, outlined in the library trustee handbook, “to attend every board meeting and committee meetings.””What we have is a person who essentially abandoned her position but is receiving a pension based on credible service,” Marks said.Bassett, the wife of former state legislator and Essex County treasurer Timothy Bassett, receives a $26,000 annual pension that includes her library trustee service. She earns $20,000 working as a part-time cooking teacher at North Shore Community College.She is not the only former city worker facing pension scrutiny at a time when plummeting state revenues and city spending cuts are prompting close examination of public employee retirement benefits.During remarks at Wednesday’s meeting, Brenner said former Community Development Executive Director Jansi Chandler’s pension is under investigation by the state Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission fraud unit.Brenner told board members that income Chandler earns from the Boston Redevelopment Authority as managing deputy director for the Economic and Industrial Development Corporation could be reduced depending on the squad’s findings.PERAC, in a letter to Brenner, noted Chandler’s city pension is subject to “earnings and hours limitations on her employment in the public sector.””Specifically,” the April 9 letter stated, “a retiree working for any authority of the Commonwealth is restricted by both the hours a retiree may work and the amount of salary such retiree may earn while collecting a pension.”Chandler retired from city service in 1998 and receives a $35,600 annual city pension. Depending on the outcome of the PERAC review, she could find herself paying income dating back nearly 10 years to the city of Boston or, possibly, Lynn.Brenner said state retirement officials will first determine if Chandler’s Boston job falls within the limitations of state retirement law. They will then determine if she worked in excess of hours restrictions defined in the law.After answering these questions, they will add Chandler’s pension to her Boston earnings and compare the combined figure to pay rates since 1999 for the Community Development post. The salary for her former Lynn job climbed from $110,000 in 1999 to $150,000 in 2008.”If PERAC determines she is giving service to the commonwealth, they will add her pension onto her pay and look at what the job she retired from pays today, then deduct the difference,” Brenner said.Chandler, in a statement to The Item, said, “When I was hired by Boston EDIC I declared that I was collecting a partial pension from Lynn which was granted because I was not reappointed when the job of executive director was abolished and the department was reorganized. I was told Boston EDIC does not pay into the pension system and, therefore, restrictions do not apply. I believe that I am abiding by the rules.”Attempts to reach Bassett Wednesday were unsuccessful.