Watchdog: Yonkers fire commissioner is NY's highest paid gov't worker

The Yonkers fire commissioner's six-figure salary has caught the attention of the government watchdog group Empire Center.
According to Empire Center, Robert Sweeney earns $394,000 a year between his pension from the FDNY and his salary. The group says Sweeney is one of four employees statewide whose combined pension and paycheck totals more than $300,000 because of a controversial practice known as double dipping.
Sweeney not only makes more than any public employee in the city, but his take home pay also makes him the highest paid government worker in all of New York state.
"I think a public servant salary should be leveled at no more than $150,000 and that's rather high," says Marta Landrieu, of Yonkers.
Mayor Mike Spano hired Sweeney in 2012 at $200,000 a year and granted him a two-year stint that he renewed in 2016 and again this year. 
City officials tell News 12 that Sweeney has the job because they haven't been able to find another qualified applicant.
Sweeney's tenure in Yonkers runs until 2020.