The average take-home pay for the city’s Top 50 wage earners last year was a record $117,726, more than double the median family income in Bristol.
The annual list, provided by the comptroller’s office, shows the top earns include 29 school administrators, 17 police officers and four city supervisors.
Fourteen of the Top 50 earners were women last year, all of them employed in the school system, which is a big increase over the previous high. There have never been more than nine women on the list in the past.
The highest-paid city worker was Police Lt. Joel Estes, who raked in $149,575.
Oddly, Estes has been inching closer to the top for years, moving up one slot a year since 2003, when he was fifth on the tally. The following year, Estes placed fourth. Then in 2005, he was third. A year ago, Estes was the runner-up, coming in second.
This time around, though, Estes easily landed at the top of the heap.
Police officers who earn extra pay by pulling extra shifts and taking on private duty assignments guarding grocery stores, traffic control at construction sites and the like can vastly increase their annual pay. Thirteen of the top 20 city earners come from the ranks of the police.
But school officials generally have the highest regular pay.
William Smyth, the assistant superintendent for business, pulled in $142,129 in his last full year on the job to claim second place on the yearly tally. He’s planning to retire this summer.
Perhaps most surprising, though, is that former School Superintendent Mike Wasta managed to earn $135,554 – and secure a fifth place finish – despite retiring at the end of June.
The highest paid worker at City Hall, easily topping the mayor’s salary, was Comptroller Glenn Klocko, who pulled in $113,827, a bit more than Fire Chief Jon Pose.
Police Lt. Mark Moskowitz, who is number six on the list, has earned about $130,000 a year for the past decade by racking up overtime. That was enough to put him at the top of the tally for six years in a row, but school salaries have escalated enough to have drop from the leading slot because his pay has remained static.
Though the private duty overtime earned by police officers shows up on city wage reports, taxpayers probably save money from the practice.
The city bills the private employers for officers' time -- and adds 12 percent to the tab to cover administrative expenses -- and doesn't count the extra pay for pension or other purposes. Taxpayers only foot the bill for officers' normal city work.
The city comptroller’s office compiles the annual list of the top 50 earners by checking its year-to-date accumulators report for 2000 to indicate how much each employee takes home.
The numbers are close, but not necessarily the same, as the figures listed on the W-2 forms given employees each January. Comptroller’s office personnel said the accumulators report is a more accurate measure.
Here's this year's list:
1. Joel Estes, police lieutenant, $149,575.11
2. William Smyth, assistant to superintendent for business, $142,129.25
3. Susan Moreau, assistant superintendent, $139,760.61
4. Anthony Malavenda, school personnel director, $137,988.43
5. Michael Wasta, superintendent (retired 6/30/2007), $135,553.72
6. Mark Moskowitz, police lieutenant, $130,177.00
7. Jack Michaud, police lieutenant, $128,855.43
8. Everett V. Lyons, Eastern High principal, $127,550.57
9. John McNellis, police sergeant, $127,457.91
10. Richard Brown, police lieutenant, $126,168.07
11. John Sassu, police sergeant, $125,370.27
12. Stephen Tavares, police sergeant, $125,242.28
13. Kevin Morrell, police lieutenant, $125,029.45
14. Edward Spyros, police lieutenant, $121,860.18
15. Denise Carabetta, director, Office of Teaching & Learning, $121,678.49
16. Paul Hines, police detective sergeant, $121,638.62
17. Christopher Lennon, police detective sergeant, $120,976.63
18. Catherine Carbone, Chippens Hill principal, $119,898.40
19. John Divenere, police chief, $117,386.55
20. Rodney Gotowala, police sergeant, $116,267.05
21. Gail Gilmore, Jennings principal, $115,569.53
22. Roseanne Vojtek, Ivy Drive principal, $115,569.53
23. Martin Semmel, Central principal, $115,474.45
24. Glenn Klocko, city comptroller, $113,827.29
25. Jon Pose, fire chief, $113,724.80
26. Walter Veselka, public works director, $113,724.80
27. Peter Wininger, Central assistant principal, $113,628.33
28. Kim Hapken, director, special services for Board of Ed., $112,891.83
29. Jean Andrews, Hubbell principal, $112,559.53
30. Steven Bent, Bingham principal, $112,559.53
31. Gary Maynard, South Side principal, $112,559.53
32. Dennis Bieu, Mt. View principal, $112,559.53
33. Catherine Cassin, Stafford principal, $112,163.52
34. Peter Gaudet, Greene-Hills principal, $112,151.53
35. Michael Audette, O'Connell principal, $111,809.53
36. Carly Fortin, supervisor of Teaching & Learning for 6-12, $111,569.86
37. Angela Rossbach, Edgewood principal, $111,424.03
38. Donn Watson, police lieutenant, $111,328.90
39. Daniel Viens, Eastern assistant principal, $110,581.97
40. Daniel Sonstrom, Central assistant principal, $110,185.97
41. Marciann Jones, Memorial Boulevard principal, $109,414.62
42. Christopher Cassin, Chippens Hill assistant principal, $108,211.53
43. Teresa Debrito, Northeast assistant principal, $108,199.53
44. William Wolfe, streets superintendent, $107,784.15
45. Andrew Langlais, police lieutenant, $107,283.57
46. Daniel McIntyre, police captain, $106,709.45
47. Rochelle Schwartz, K-12 science supervisor, $106,102.41
48. Martha Nowobilski, Memorial Boulevard assistant principal, $105,655.66
49. Richard Gagliardi. technology supervisor, $105,423.53
50. Christopher Michaud, police officer, $105,110.03
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
41 comments:
Now THIS is the posting that will cause people to leave comments that you will need to moderate very carefully.
Nothing like angering the population.
Taunt the monkeys in the cage!!!
The first comment does get me thinking. Please, folks, let's not attack any of these "top earners" specifically unless known facts back up what you're saying. I don't mind if you want to talk in general about the pay levels, but I won't post stuff like "Jane Doe isn't worth 5 cents. She's lazy and useless."
I think that it's important to note that for many of the general police officers to acheive such a high income, they had to work a TON of overtime. With the exception of the high ranking officers (Chief and Lt) This isn't their straight salary.
It's a fair question, however, why so many top police people are pulling in so much money every year. It looks like the whole thing is a big gravy train racket.
I hear that the Mayor will be giving the Police and Fire between 4% and 5%, plus additional benefits.
Maybe Steve can research that for teh public.
The city hasn't given out that big a raise in a long time. Given the cloudy economic outlook, I'm deeply skeptical that a contract would include such generous provisions, unless the city is getting something lucrative as well.
What exactly does the Superindentant of Streets do? Decide which streets get their snow plowed?
Steve,
Is that official?
Makes me think I should have been a city worker or a cop instead of going to college for business administration. What a racket. It's not the salaries as much as it is the pensions and the benefits. Just ask an accountant at GM how that works for an organization. Except the city can just raise taxes every year to pay for it and they do.
"Is that official?"
If you are talking about my speculation about a possible wage hike, no, it's not. I have heard exactly nothing about the negotiations.
I should add that it's difficult to know what kinds of contract terms are getting thrown around in private talks. Neither side has an incentive to say, normally, and everyone involved recognizes the terms might change before the negotiations are done.
I will nose around, though, and see if any information's floating around.
NICE make it sound like they won a race !!!
I cant believe the School Principals make so much. I mean is that really necessary? Do they even earn it? Do they work a full year or do they get summers off?
I'm glad we pay our school officials so much money. It gives us the good people. You get what you pay for, which is why we have such great school administrators. If we didn't pay them so much some other town would swipe them up and we would be stuck with the crappy administrators that don't do much.
Cathy Cassin is a perfect example. She turned Stafford School around and is well worth every dime we pay her.
Don't be fooled by these school salaries, they are mostly BOE bureaucrats and adminstrators. Let's look at the starting salary for teachers, the ones who do the real work, and it will be clear that we are not getting "the good people" because the pay is too low to lure the true good people into the profession.
4:32 poster: Where did you hear the mayor is giving the police and fire that much of a raise? I HIGHLY doubt it! Again, more gossip that does nothing but anger. Everything is negotiated. The mayor can't just give what he wants. Let's not go stirring up the hornet's nest.
For a police officer to make such a high salary, much time is invested. Time away from the family, holidays etc. Not to mention putting their lives on the line day in day out.
And the benefits!
Congratulations Joel...
"I cant believe the School Principals make so much. I mean is that really necessary?"
-I agree with this type of thinking 100%. Why the heck do we need all these assitants? They get 6 figures for handing out detentions? It's a complete SCAM!!!
I heard that from some union people: that is what they are discussing, plus benits and better arrangements for them.
We will see.
With all these highly paid school administrators you would think our kids would be smarter-no?
When I went to school I got pencils and paper. Today they have to buy their own.
And if you think that all the principals and vice principals do is hand out detentions then you have no clue what you are talking about.
February 19, 2008 9:52 AM:
1) You didn't do too well in Composition did you?
2) Some Assistant's main tasks are handing out discipline. I was referring to assistants, can you read?
3) Can you tell us all what they do, since you know so much Mr. or Mrs. "Education Groupie"?
TEACHERS CONTRACT
Max. 4 hours per day class time
Max . 180 Days per year
In the real world this is the equivalent of THREE MONTHS WORK ( 90 days )for a FULL YEARS PAY .
The school board is comprised of teachers and ONLY they control the teachers pay and benefits packages .
No wonder a RETIRED !!! school official holds the 5th spot on the list .
Teachers .... Overpaid / Underworked
I defy anyone to find a full-time teacher in Bristol who works only four hours a day, 180 days a year. I know plenty of teachers who are in an hour early and stay late -- working! -- and are in class most of the rest of the time in between.
I'm not among those who believe teachers are underpaid (though perhaps working as a reporter, which is a ludicrously underpaid profession except for those on national TV, leaves me a little jaundiced on the issue). But to say they don't work hard is just plain wrong. I'm sure there are some who do the minimum, but there are many, many more who are putting in long hours to do one of society's most important jobs.
At least give them the respect their position requires.
The City council has to approve the teachers contracts.
Check with them.
Wasta's dollars include accrued vacation and other benfits, just like city employees who get it added to their benefit analysis.
Class time does not equal time on the job. Your analysis would then include firefighters who "work" a small percentage of the time on the job.
Both are needed, that is the way the job works out, and we should be so glad that we have as many good ones, teachers and firefighters as we do!!!
Someone has to stop Tom O'Brien and Barbara Doyle from hiring 4 more adminitrators.
As you can see from the list salaries are killing us at the BOE.
Put that money towards curriculum, or sports.
To the TEACHERS CONTRACT comment: There is not one TEACHER on the list!
Pick a school .....
Arrive 1 hour prior to start of school day ......
Return 1 hour prior to end of school day .....
GUARANTEE !!!!!!
LAST to arrive in morning ..... teacher
FIRST to leave .... teacher
nuff said
No teacher on list .....
If you didnt count overtime work ( which actually makes the city money ) .... the list would almost exclusively contain school personnel .
10:41 ---- someone needs to give you a reality check. You have a very skewed view of what a teacher does during the day.
And if we payed these people (who have Bachelor degrees and Masters degrees)a small amount of money, do you think they would stick around to teach our children?
February 19, 2008 12:39 PM: Agreed they must be STOPPED!!
February 19, 2008 4:46 PM: N0 YOU need a reality check. There are plenty of people with degrees that do worse then public school teachers.
They get good salaries, generous benefits, unbelievablely great pensions, they get a good portion of the summer COMPLETELY OFF (among other holidays) anf their day end relatively early.
Of course they need to put in some extra time here and there and at home. But they are guided BY THEIR UNION CONTRACT. I am completely sick and tired of hearing howe hard they work. They are almost guaranteed a raise every year no matter what. Once they get their tenure, it's almost impossible to fire them.
I could go on and on. Why are so many people prone to be "education groupies"?
8:45 Feb 20th
You obviously wouldn't survive one day as a teacher in the school system.
Anyone who knows anything knows that most police oficers work many, many road jobs for private contractors to make the money they make. The city makes plenty of money from this. If you work in private industry you know that paying overtime as apposed to hiring new employees is a HUGH savings to the city. So this city should be looking at why are we hiring so many police officers when its cheaper to pay overtime only when you need the officers as apposed to paying for them all the time.
Please, city officals, look into this, you'll be amazed!!
2:59: look up the word "apposed" and then look up the word "opposed" and tell me what you find.
2:59
Do you want someone working, on average, 60 hours week, carrying a gun and making life and death decisions?
Oh come on Steve let the Jealous Republicans cry. It suits them.
To February 19 8:49 Yeah, Yeah , Yeah and I used to walk to school in knee deep snow when I was a kid !!!!!!
9:53, apposed, opposed, as long as you understand the meaning of what is being said. Save the taxpayers some money, please!
Would be nice if the benfits were reported too!
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