A growing heap for O'side trash king

Days after a damaging audit of Sanitary District 7 was released from the comptroller’s office, the supervisor of the district, who was featured prominently in the audit as the receiver of an unusually high salary and unfair fringe benefits, was awarded a merit-based raise by the district’s Board of Commissioners.

Charles Scarlata, the director of Sanitary District 7, which covers Oceanside, already has an annual salary of over $146,000, in addition to about $20,000 in comp time he collects, Comptroller Howard Weitzman’s audit showed. Just days after the audit was released, Scarlata, along with 15 other workers, was awarded a $40-a-week merit-based raise.

“They’re given out for what the commissioners think is excellent service in the district,” said Jerome Cline, attorney for the sanitary district, who answered questions on behalf of Scarlata and the commissioners. “They just don’t give it out to everybody.”

Weitzman’s audit alleged dirty practices in the sanitary district and unfair treatment of workers, with Scarlata being the biggest recipient of favors. The audit alleged nepotism, after Scarlata was hired and replaced his father as supervisor just months later. He was also granted two $300,000 life insurance policies—paid for by the sanitary district—and post-retirement pay of $25,000 a year for 15 years.

“The commissioners believe [his salary] is fair,” Cline said. “That guy does an excellent job. And they believe it’s fair.”

Cline wouldn’t respond to many of the allegations and suggestions made in the comptroller’s audit. However, Weitzman claimed that his auditors were harassed while they were conducting their audit, having their tires slashed while they were at the sanitary district headquarters—something which Weitzman said had never happened before on any audit.

“Untrue,” Cline said of Weitzman’s allegation. “Not a thing was done like that. And I think the district bent over backwards to be cooperative.

“They asked for things, and we gave it to them,” he added, speaking of the district’s cooperation with the auditors. "I believe the district was responsive. And those allegations are totally false.”