GOP bill would raise pension; Former secretary to state party chairman stands to get increased benefits.(Main)

Byline: JAMES M. ODATO - Capitol bureau

ALBANY - Republican lawmakers want the former secretary to the state GOP chairman to get a bigger public pension than the one she's on course to receive. A bill advanced by the Senate Rules Committee, controlled by Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno and sponsored by Assemblyman Rob Walker, R-Hicksville, would improve Julie A. Cleary's benefits at the expense of New York state's pension fund and her employer, the Nassau County Board of Elections.

The bill is now in committees.

Cleary is the former secretary for Nassau County GOP Chairman Joseph Mondello. In 2006, Bruno helped Mondello become the head of the state party.

The bill is one of dozens that surface each year to give specific public employees improved pensions. When successful, such legislation adds to the …