Charles McPhearson, City Council's go-to guy on the city budget, may be returning to the chamber as a $150,000-a-year consultant. McPhearson, 60, retired from the job a year ago when it was a salaried position. Council converted the post into a consulting one and McPhearson is
reported to be the favorite among five candidates to win the contract. The tale highlights the growing disparity between public and private pensions. For one thing, McPhearson was in the DROP program and got a $528,000 lump sum when he "retired." He also gets a $113,500 annual pension. And now a $150,000 a year consulting gig? One Council member worried about the PR of a move that looked like "an oinkfest."
