Highly-paid absentee pols are taking NY taxpayers for a free ride

New York taxpayers are getting flat-out robbed by lazy, overpaid politicians who can’t even be bothered to show up for work.State lawmakers and City Council members scored massive pay hikes in recent years on the promise of being “full time” public servants — which makes their routine no-shows all the more infuriating.The 10 worst attendance offenders in Albany skipped out on 442 votes combined — each blowing off more than 37% of the votes — while pocketing cushy six-figure, taxpayer-funded salaries.Four state lawmakers didn’t even bother to set foot in the Albany Capitol once this past session, hiding behind remote-voting rules (years after the COVID emergency ended) to shirk basic duty.Their excuses for missing in-person legislative sessions and key committee hearings run from the maybe-forgivable — childbirth complications and other family or medical emergencies, Middle East deployment — to the outrageous; advanced age (retire if you can’t show up for work!) and sheer indifference, a slap in the face to hard-working New Yorkers footing the bill.Here in the five boroughs, City Councilman Chi Ossé (D-Brooklyn) skips work to busily play activist — blowing off Stated Meetings and key committee hearings to join an anti-Israel protest at the United Nations and to trek upstate for to join the socialist campaign for a public takeover of utility companies.Ossé prefers performative grandstanding to the drudgework of serving his constituents.Showing up to do the job you were elected to do, and get paid handsomely to perform, isn’t optional — it’s a “core responsibility.” Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Please provide a valid email.

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Albany and City Hall have a clear duty to scrap the remote-voting free pass, retire geriatric pols no longer up to the work, and boot lightweight freelo...