January 23, 2006
STAMFORD -- A change in leadership of city schools has cleared room at the top for police Capt. Richard Conklin to become the highest-paid municipal employee in 2005.
The top slot usually is reserved for the schools superintendent, but Anthony Mazzullo left in June and his replacement, Joshua Starr, was on the payroll only eight months last year. So Conklin moved up a notch.
Conklin has been No. 2 on the list since 1999.
Last year, Conklin earned $242,258 -- more than 2-1/2 times his base salary of $91,080 -- by working overtime and side jobs.
Police officers can earn extra money by directing traffic during road construction and working parades, school events and private security through the city's extra-duty program.
About $77,000 of Conklin's earnings last year came from extra-duty work, which is paid by the client, not taxpayers.
Behind him on the list are dozens of other police officers who boost their income the same way. Under department policy, police officers can sign up to work as many as 16 hours a day. They occasionally work even longer if they make an arrest late in their second shift.
Sgt. Richard Phelan came in No. 2 on the list, earning $188,444 last year. Lt. Eugene Dohmann came in third, earning $184,154; Sgt. Tom Scanlon was fourth with $173,301; and Sgt. Paul Guzda was No. 5 with $172,841.
The city's top cop, Chief Brent Larrabee, is missing from the list. Larrabee earned $107,044 in 2005, his first year on the job.
As supervisor of the narcotics and organized crime unit, Conklin has more opportunities for overtime than other police officers because he works on high-profile investigations. He is also an instructor at the Stamford Police Academy, teaching classes on overtime. And for 15 years, he has had a brokered side job with the Stamford Town Center mall, scheduling officers to work extra duty there.
Conklin also was the city's top earner in 1998. He declined to comment on the list, saying he no longer speaks publicly about his salary.
Fifty-five police officers -- 18 percent of the force -- made the top earners list.
The rest of the list is mostly school principals and administrators, such as Assistant Superintendent John Chardavoyne, who earned $150,533 and was No. 12.
Police officers and firefighters accounted for 64 percent of the highest-paid list.
Nine fire department employees made it, including Chief Robert McGrath, a assistant chief, three deputy fire chiefs, three firefighters and a fire marshal.
Few general government employees made the list.
City Engineer Antonio Iadarola, who ranked No. 73, earned $120,967, and Office of Operations Supervisor Robert Gerbert Sr., who earned $119,564 and was No. 77, were among the few.
Director of Human Resources Dennis Murphy said he's not surprised so few city hall employees are on the list.
"In the public sector, managers are paid less than blue-collar workers," he said.
Payroll records show 265 city employees earned $100,000 or more last year.
Mayor Dannel Malloy squeaked in at No. 99 with total earnings of $116,375. Malloy, who got a raise last month when he was re-elected to his fourth term, will earn $118,917 this year.
One member of the mayor's Cabinet made the Top 100 -- Health Director Dr. Johnnie Lee, who earned $147,895 and came in at No. 14.
None of the four directors -- department heads appointed by the mayor -- was on the list.
Director of Administration Ben Barnes earned $103,198; Director of Legal Affairs Thomas Cassone earned $101,409; Director of Public Safety, Health and Welfare William Callion earned $99,740; and Director of Operations Tim Curtin earned $99,094. Unlike the others, Cassone's job is part time.
Many of the directors are paid less than the employees they supervise.
Murphy plans to propose raising the salary ranges in the city's pay plan for nonunion, elected and appointed officials in the coming months. Since every new hire's salary has been above the mid-point of the pay plan range in recent years, their salaries have needed Personnel Commission approval, he said. As personnel director, Murphy can authorize salaries up to the mid-point of the range.
"The beginning steps of those are just too low," he said. "Adjustments do need to be made. You need to sustain your ability to recruit talent for your top positions."
Changes to the salary ranges must be approved by the Personnel Commission, Board of Finance and Board of Representatives.
Copyright © 2006, Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc.