The Rev. Glorya Askew, months from 30 years, pursues her bias case

Prison chaplain fired short of top pension

The Rev. Glorya Askew, months from 30 years, pursues her bias case
By JAMES M. ODATO Capitol bureau 

Published 1:00 am, Wednesday, July 7, 2010

ALBANY -- A long-time state prison chaplain has been fired from her post as ministerial program coordinator, but she did not go in peace.
Following two sets of charges against her, the Rev. Glorya Askew of Albany lost her job June 24 after a hearing officer recommended termination, according to Erik Kriss, as spokesman for the Department of Correctional Service.
Askew, 54, who has more than 29 years of service at DOCS, has been vigorously fighting the charges and is continuing to push a discrimination case against the department in federal court.
Her complaint with the state Division of Human Rights that she was treated differently because she was a black, female Protestant resulted in a no probable cause finding two years ago. She alleged white, Catholic males had more opportunity in the department.
Kriss would not reveal the specific charges against Askew judged by a hearing officer. An earlier set of charges alleged she had received thousands of dollars in reimbursement for travel expenses she was not authorized to receive in her job working with prison chaplains. DOCS referred those charges to the attorney general's office for criminal investigation.
John Milgrim, a spokesman for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, said a review of the Askew case is ongoing.
Askew referred a reporter to her lawyer, Lanny Walter, who said the case that led to her termination involved charges she associated with felons and that she allowed sympathetic subordinates -- other chaplains -- to raise funds for her. He said she could appeal. "We tried to get them to settle with her but they wouldn't," he said. "We don't agree with the outcome."
Her post paid $84,581 and her pension should be about 58 to 60 percent of the sum.
She might be eligible for 75 percent if she could have stayed in public service a few more months and reached 30 years of service and age 55.
A 19-year adjunct professor of the New York Theological Seminary, Askew has authored pieces such as "From Prison Cell to Church Pew: The Strategy of the African American Church: A Book for Individual and Congregation Study" and "Reclamation of Black Prisoners: A Challenge to the African American Church."

In her lawsuit, she alleges discrimination and retaliation by state officials for her outspokenness. She said she was wrongly pursued by department officials who checked her time sheets, travel vouchers and hours on duty to come up with charges of inappropriate reimbursement. She said she was denied travel as part of her activism for spiritual reforms of felons.