A lawyer for the Port Authority gave up his paycheck for a pension because he could earn more that way — but still goes to work every day.
Milt Pachter got a fat raise when he “retired” and scored a pension higher than his salary — but he still reports for work as a “volunteer” because he just loves his job.
Pachter, an 84-year-old Korean War vet, retired in 2012 after earning about $224,000 the year before as senior litigation counsel.
Now, he takes home a taxpayer-funded pension of $250,873, according to the Empire Center, an Albany-based watchdog group.
But the lifelong bachelor doesn’t fritter away his days on the golf course or playing pinochle at the senior center.
Instead, he goes from his home on East 34th Street to the PA headquarters at 225 Park Ave. South five days a week.
“I just enjoy getting up in the morning and going to work,” Pachter told The Post from his home Thursday.
“I like work. I like mentoring. I have a lot of institutional memory about things I handle and want to pass on,” he said.
He said he got the idea from a friend.
“Milt, you got more years in the system [and] the way it works you’d make more money if you got your check from Albany instead of a paycheck,” Pachter recalled the friend advising.
The feisty octogenarian defended his payout, saying he paid into the system when he started at the PA.
“It’s my own money, which is part of my pension. I worked hard and earned my pension,” he said. And he’s no high-roller despite an income many would envy.
“I enjoy going to work to take care of my family. The money is not my goal in life,” said Pachter, who has no children but has nieces and nephews.