When Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. President and CEO Henry Wojtaszek retires at the end of the year, he will take a gold-plated health insurance plan with him.
This plan has no deductible, and copays for doctor, specialist, and test visits range from $25 and copays for medications range from $5 to $40.
According to the purchase agreement, Wojtaszek can participate in one of two plans starting January 1. Wojtaszek’s employment contract states that both he and his family can participate in the insurance plan.
The purchase agreement does not specify when Wojtaszek’s health insurance coverage will end.
“That’s outrageous. I’ve never heard of anything like that,” said Congresswoman Monica Wallace when informed of Wojtaszek’s purchase, which included health benefits. “It’s a much more frivolous gain for OTB leaders.”
Henry Wojtaszek acquisition agreement obtained through the state’s Freedom of Information Act.
It was not immediately clear whether Wojtaszek and his family are currently using the insurance plan. OTB board member Timothy Curran, who represents Erie County, said in a statement that Wojtaszek was “led to believe” that this was not the case and that he was receiving additional pay as a result. Wojtaszek’s wife, Caroline Wojtaszek, is a Niagara County Court judge, and she and her family are eligible for health insurance through the state. Her 10-year term expires at the end of 2030.
Current OTB officials, including Wojtaszek, Human Resources Director Daniel Fleming and OTB Chairman Dennis Bassett, did not return calls seeking comment. OTB spokesperson Ryan Hasenauer agreed.
A health insurance plan is added to the acquisition payment equivalent to one year’s salary. Wojtaszek has a base salary of $287,000 and a total salary of $299,000. The contract does not specify how much he will be paid. Wojtaszek and other OTB employees signed their first-ever employment contracts in April 2023, just before the state Legislature enacted the reforms in the spring of that year.
According to Wojtaszek’s purchase agreement, he will also be paid for accrued vacation and sick time. The value at the time was not immediately clear. Wojtaszek’s contract states that he will be given five weeks of vacation each year.
Two other OTB executives, Chief Financial Officer Jacqueline Leach and Vice President of Administration William White, also received acquisition agreements. Mr. Leach and Mr. White will also receive health insurance benefits and payments for unused vacation time upon retirement.
Leach’s purchase price was agreed to be $122,000, about half of her annual salary. Officials have previously said White would receive an $87,000 buyout, but no such payment was included in his contract.
OTB practices allow non-executive officers to receive free health insurance. Depending on the length and timing of their membership on the board, members may be eligible for lifetime compensation.
Executive health insurance has been a controversial issue for many years. Both the state auditor and attorney general have opined that OTB board members, like the outside attorneys employed by the agency, are not entitled to health insurance. Nevertheless, OTB under Wojtaszek continued to bring benefits.
Investigative Post obtained a copy of the acquisition agreement under the state’s Freedom of Information Act. The request was submitted on July 12, but OTB officials refused to terminate the agreement for three months, saying it was “not fully implemented.”
After an appeal filed by Investigative Post on Sept. 25, the agency relented and released the documents on Tuesday. The agreement states that Wojtaszek and Dennis Bassett, chairman of the OTB board of directors, signed and dated Wojtaszek’s agreement on July 25.
Leach and Bassett signed and dated her contract on July 30th. White and Bassett signed and dated the contract on September 26th.
Curran, an OTB board member, said in a statement that he had been asking OTB leadership for a copy of the acquisition agreement for several months and was “disappointed” that the agency released it to Investigative Post before circulating it to board members. I did,” he said. He said he and other directors were not shown a copy of the acquisition agreement until they were asked to vote on it in June, but OTB then shared a copy with him.
In June, Curran was the only vote against the deal.
“I have to assume that the company’s management and the chairman of the board did everything in their power to prevent directors from viewing the agreement,” he said in a statement. “This is not surprising. WROTB’s management and leadership continue to operate in a secretive and opaque manner, underserving the company, its member governments, and taxpayers. yeah.”
Curran, who along with Wallace and state Sen. Sean Ryan has criticized Wojtaszek’s deal, said he was even more disappointed that the deal included health insurance.
“It seems questionable whether this acquisition agreement will allow him to receive lifelong health insurance through the company after he retires,” he said. “Employees who want to voluntarily resign and leave the company should not be given a golden parachute totaling $300,000 upon retirement.”
