An aide to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams is raking in $82,992 a year for working only 21 hours a week — and spends the rest of her time heading a taxpayer-fueled nonprofit that pays for her frequent jaunts to the Caribbean.
Valerie Oliver-Durrah, 64, Adams’ new senior adviser for strategic alliances, nets a government salary that works out to even more than her boss’ annual take of $150,000.
But she also earns thousands more annually at the helm of the Neighborhood Technical Assistance Clinic, which says it specializes in helping other nonprofits raise funds.
It’s the relationship between both of her lucrative jobs that is now being reviewed by the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board, after Oliver-Durrah requested a waiver to continue in them.
Oliver-Durrah raised eyebrows earlier this month after meeting with community leaders as Adams’ adviser at Brooklyn Borough Hall while pushing NTAC.
“Is she using her platform as a special adviser to build business for her nonprofit? That raises questions about the appropriateness of the relationship,” said Dick Dadey of Citizens Union, a government watchdog group.
Adams’ spokesman, Stefan Ringel, said Oliver-
Durrah’s job for the borough president “is to assist in strengthening nonprofits so they can best provide services to Brooklynites.”
In addition to her government salary, Oliver-Durrah paid herself $57,000 from NTAC in 2011 to work 24 hours per week and $87,702 in 2008, filings show. And she didn’t even have to leave home: The nonprofit is headquartered in her Brooklyn brownstone.
From 2009 to 2012, she paid herself an additional $23,083 for “occupancy” — extra cash due to the fact that she works from home and doesn’t require office space — and a car allowance. Her nonprofit also paid her son about $20,000 for computer consulting from 2008 through 2011, a Post review found.
In 2011, she spent $54,571 of the nonprofit’s money on travel and conferences — with her expenses and salary eating up more than half of the annual $206,000 revenue the group raised. She took frequent trips to Antigua, where she says she’s been doing annual projects for the Fiennes Institute for homeless seniors.
Overall, the charity has received $79,000 in special earmarks from City Council members: Darlene Mealy and Domenic Recchia in Brooklyn, Leroy Comrie in Queens and Debbie Rose in Staten Island.
Comrie, who sent $20,000 to the nonprofit over the years, said it wasn’t his job to vet how she used any other money.
Sylvia Kinard-Thompson, the ex-wife of former City Comptroller Bill Thompson, is NTAC chair.
Oliver-Durrah did not respond to multiple phone messages and e-mails seeking comment.
Additional reporting by Jennifer Bain