Metro

Pension pick in ‘double’ trouble

ALBANY — New Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos had egg on his face yesterday after his pick to head the chamber’s powerful pension-oversight panel abruptly resigned amid a controversy over his own pension double-dipping.

Pension-reform advocates were stunned by the GOP leader’s decision to appoint Sen. William Larkin Jr. (R-Orange) chairman of the Senate’s Civil Service and Pensions Committee, even though Larkin had recently come under fire for simultaneously drawing both a pension and a paycheck for serving as senator.

The Post reported last month that Larkin, 82, was one of 11 state lawmakers to take advantage of an unusual loophole that allows certain veteran pols to essentially “retire” in office.

The senator is slated to collect a pension of about $79,000 on top of his $94,000 legislative salary.

Shortly after The Post inquired about the head-scratching appointment, Senate Republicans produced a letter dated yesterday from Larkin to Skelos (R-LI) declining the position. They also produced a Dec. 3 letter from Larkin requesting that he receive no committee chairmanships.

Senate Republican spokesman Mark Hansen said that Skelos initially tapped Larkin because he had experience on the committee and a number of senators were already leading multiple committees.

Before Larkin declined the post, E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center for New York State Policy said he hoped the appointment was “a misprint.”

“Larkin may be a good guy, but it sends a terrible signal about their intentions on pension reform,” McMahon said.

brendan.scott@nypost.com