Ziobron took taxpayers for a ride, cashing in on legislative perks and compensating herself more than any of her House colleagues

(Essex, October 18, 2018) -- An analysis of the state’s open payroll system reveals that Melissa Ziobron was paid more than any of her house colleagues by taking advantage of mileage reimbursements, healthcare benefits, and other legislative perks.

Ziobron collected $18,379 in “other” pay according to Connecticut’s Open Payroll website in 2017, which accounts for her legislative expense account along with other reimbursements she claimed that year. No other member of the House claimed as many perks as she did in 2017, meaning she took more than even the Speaker of the House and the Republican Minority Leader. Ziobron collected most of that money in a single check issued to her in June 2017 for a whopping $14,291.

“Melissa Ziobron says she’s for protecting taxpayer interests, yet she took advantage of every possible perk she could to line her own pockets,” said State Senate candidate Norm Needleman, “Even more insulting is that as she’s getting paid to drive to work she voted against the interests of working families when she got there, denying equal pay for women and opposing the minimum wage.”

This comes as Ziobron and her shadowy Washington DC super PAC allies launched a flashy digital campaign falsely accusing Needleman of taking a pay raise as First Selectman of Essex. Needleman instead cut his pay by 75% and donated the remainder to area charities.

When factoring in the value of her state health benefits Ziobron was compensated a total of $77,307 in 2017, making her the most compensated member of the Connecticut House of Representatives.

Full detail is available on the Open Payroll website here: https://openpayroll.ct.gov/#!/year/2017/employee/2074B3A5517393AA8DECFABC5B0F1EE7