Behold the annual rite of passage: Bridgeport’s top 100 government wage earners for 2016. In the dead of winter it warms our souls like pitchers and catchers for spring training. A whole bunch of city police officers, as is tradition, performed a lot of overtime catching on behalf of taxpayer pitchers. Mayor Joe Ganim doesn’t even come close to sniffing the top 50 at $145,611.90.
Police officers and board of education employees dominate the top 100. The top 100 list below covers gross pay including overtime-rich police officers. As a general rule Board of Education employees are salaried. Marlene Siegel, chief financial officer for the Board of Education, placed second on the list.
To understand the difference in the upward overtime adjustment, base pay for a police officer is roughly $68,416; detective $77,312; sergeant $78,675; lieutenant $90,476; captain $104,051; deputy chief $119,65.
Leading the list is city firefighter David Green. He’s an anomaly on the list because he received back pay that accounts for most of his earnings following an arbitration award as a result of a grieved employment discipline that goes back several years. Only a few firefighters made the top 100.
On the civilian side of the list lawyers in the City Attorney’s Office bring up the rear.
TOP 100 WAGE EARNERS 2016
GREENE, DAVID FIRE FIGHTER 302,368.67
SIEGEL, MARLENE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, BOE, 207,459.82
EVANS, JOHN POLICE SERGEANT 203,941.24
FITZGERALD, BRIAN POLICE CAPTAIN 203,845.64
RABINOWITZ, FRANCES SUPERINTENDENT 198,793.48
DOWLING, SANFORD POLICE DETECTIVE 192,941.40
LEONZI, CARL POLICE SERGEANT 189,992.84
GARCIA, REBECA POLICE CAPTAIN 189,181.33
LLANOS, SANTIAGO, POLICE SERGEANT 185,232.14
STOLZE, DOUGLAS POLICE CAPTAIN 184,232.08
ANDREWS, JOHN POLICE SERGEANT 183,410.19
FARONI, DANIEL POLICE OFFICER 183,358.13
BLACKWELL, MARK POLICE OFFICER 183,097.48
CUMMINGS, JOHN POLICE LIEUTENANT 181,719.47
REILLY, WILLIAM POLICE DETECTIVE 180,828.67
HONIS, JAMES POLICE DEPUTY CHIEF 180,455.22
PEREIRA, ILIDIO POLICE OFFICER 180,021.18
LOUGAL, STEVEN POLICE CAPTAIN 175,857.39
ORTIZ, PAUL POLICE DETECTIVE 173,694.16
AMATO, JASON POLICE SERGEANT 171,199.53
STERN, HUGO POLICE OFFICER 170,647.43
MARTINEZ, DENNIS POLICE DETECTIVE 170,296.21
EVANS, ROBERT POLICE CAPTAIN 167,364.02
CARROLL, TERESA DEPUTY SUPERINTENDENT 166,965.35
RODRIGUES, BRUNO POLICE OFFICER 164,179.75
BURKE, JOHN POLICE SERGEANT 163,804.23
LAMAINE, CHRISTOPHER POLICE LIEUTENANT 162,035.65
ROBERTS, MARLENE PRINCIPAL 160,946.96
CALVAO, ARTUR POLICE DETECTIVE 160,848.40
PEREZ, ARMANDO POLICE CAPTAIN 159,882.06
PRIBESH, JOHN POLICE DETECTIVE 159,520.00
TESTANI, MICHAEL DIRECTOR OF ADULT EDUCATION 159,338.79
GILLERAN, KEVIN POLICE LIEUTENANT 159,167.36
HAAKONSEN, ERIK CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER 159,086.47
GALE, JOHN POLICE LIEUTENANT 159,037.81
MULFORD, MICHAEL PRINCIPAL 155,287.60
CSECH, DAMIEN POLICE OFFICER 155,127.20
FERRI, JASON POLICE DETECTIVE 154,424.65
PAZ, RICHARD STEAMFITTER 153,645.26
MENDEZ, DANIEL POLICE OFFICER 153,468.66
JOHNSON, ARESTA SUPERINTENDENT 152,839.98
COTTO, WALBERTO POLICE DETECTIVE 151,441.81
CINTRON, JORGE POLICE DETECTIVE 151,134.24
ROSADO, ORLANDO POLICE OFFICER 151,115.26
GRECH, PAUL POLICE LIEUTENANT 150,638.93
BAHR, JOSE POLICE OFFICER 149,781.67
SANCHEZ, HECTOR PRINCIPAL 149,662.70
ACEVEDO, JOSE POLICE OFFICER 149,487.03
MARSHALL, AMY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-ACADEMICS 148,249.82
STRAUBEL, MARK POLICE CAPTAIN 148,244.38
FERNANDES, CYNTHIA PRINCIPAL 148,107.92
BLACK, VICTOR HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL 147,750.52
RIVERA, ANGEL POLICE OFFICER 147,373.19
NEWTON, DYRENE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR-ACADEMICS 147,351.54
PALADINO, RALPH PRINCIPAL 147,071.63
BRADLEY-WEBB, TJUANA POLICE SERGEANT 146,655.46
JAEGER, KATHLEEN EXEC. DIR. OF HUMAN RESOURCES 146,128.72
CORTELLO, LOUIS POLICE SERGEANT 146,127.18
GANIM, JOSEPH MAYOR 145,611.90
ZIEGLER, PETER ASST. PRINCIPAL 145,483.92
HAILEY, ESTHER POLICE OFFICER 145,384.88
DOUGLAS, STEVEN PRINCIPAL 145,140.78
ARMENO, ANTHONY POLICE DEPUTY CHIEF 145,105.49
SANTACAPITA, DEBORAH PRINCIPAL 144,702.08
COOK, JAMES FIRE ASSISTANT CHIEF 144,639.61
DIEZ, JULIO POLICE OFFICER 144,390.23
ROSA, RICARDO DIR. MATH 144,202.08
WORTHY, CHARMAINE PRINCIPAL 143,912.29
ALEXANDER, WAYNE ASST. DIR. OF ADULT EDUCATION 143,807.84
GOLDING, EDWARD POLICE SERGEANT 143,453.51
JENKINS, MELISSA DIR. OF LITERACY 143,412.29
GUTIERREZ, LUIS POLICE OFFICER 143,151.66
RADZIMIRSKI, ADAM POLICE DEPUTY CHIEF 143,028.22
HELLER, ADAM ITS DIRECTOR 142,713.64
MEMOLI, FRANK HOUSING CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFIC 142,585.82
TISDALE, DEBORAH PRINCIPAL 142,494.06
RIVERA, EDWARD POLICE SERGEANT 142,455.38
ANEKWE, PATRICIA SUPERV. OF MAGNET HIGH SCHOOL 142,422.61
MATERA, MICHELE SUPERV. OF SKANE SCHOOL 142,061.70
CHERRY-CRUZ, TERESA PROGRAM DIRECTOR/COORDINATOR/S 141,794.06
GRANELLO, GREGG POLICE SERGEANT 141,711.46
THODE, RICHARD FIRE CHIEF 141,710.97
DENTON, JAMES PROGRAM DIRECTOR/COORDINATOR/S 141,692.10
EARLE, MARILYN SUPERV. OF SPECIAL EDUCATION 141,506.30
SIMMONS, JACQUELINE PRINCIPAL 141,311.96
GILES, HELEN PRINCIPAL 141,194.06
HEANUE, MARTIN POLICE DETECTIVE 141,170.85
KELLEY, TANIA DIR OF PERFORMING & VISUAL ART 141,161.70
WALKER-JONES, GLADYS PRINCIPAL 141,111.96
ANASTASI, MARK ASSOCIATE CITY ATTORNEY 140,966.11
DICKERSON, BRIAN POLICE LIEUTENANT 140,707.24
MORGAN, SELENA PRINCIPAL 140,561.70
GUSTAFSON, BRETT PRINCIPAL 140,292.10
AZZARITO, RICHARD POLICE LIEUTENANT 140,257.99
BONNEY, MICHELE ASST. PRINCIPAL 140,196.35
DEAN, CORETTA ASST. PRINCIPAL 140,184.27
WATSON, MICHAEL HIGH SCHOOL PRINCIPAL 140,177.24
LISKOV, RUSSELL ASSOCIATE CITY ATTORNEY 140,065.99
PACACHA, RONALD ASSOCIATE CITY ATTORNEY 140,065.94
COTTO, MANUEL POLICE LIEUTENANT 140,028.99
This list is quite funny. The folks in charge of ethics and integrity in the PD are all in the top 5-10.
youtu.be/K8E_zMLCRNg
One has to wonder if any of these people are Bridgeport residents including Mayor Joe Ganim. That’s a lot of money leaving the city each year, no?
What type of arbitration award case was a result of a grieved employment discipline that goes back several years? It seems obvious the Fire Chief and Labor Relation didn’t have a good case from the start.
Ron, I don’t know all the details, but the case goes back to the previous mayor and fire chief. My understanding is it involves roughly three year’s back pay.
Thanks Lennie, that sounds just like former Fire Chief Rooney, that’s his way of punishing one firefighter to make a example to other firefighters that he would go after them for doing nothing.
True that!
So if you look at the list 30-plus officers sucked up over half the overtime budget. These were everyone in Internal Affairs who doubled or nearly tripled their salaries, and several detectives. The detectives I know were busy this year but does the Captain have to earn $203k? Really? Then Internal Affairs they must have had a lot of complaints against officers to make the money they made. Not! The fact six members of IA received 10% of the overtime budget is concerning, especially when pensions are based on the best three years of earned salary. And if they stay more than the required 25 years to receive 50% of those best three years, it’s 2.5% more for each additional year they stay on for a max of 75% if they stay 35 years. Plus they also receive a COLA increase every year. So those who continue to average $190k and stay 35 years are looking at a pension of $142.5k plus a COLA increase. That’s a lot of cheddar taxpayers will be dishing out.
Is this the Jose Reyes who played for the Mets or the crybaby who retired under suspicious circumstances under the old pension plan and has whined ever since?
youtu.be/K8E_zMLCRNg
Phantom,
We need more people to know and understand the “facts” as they stand, and we’re not talking about baseball statistics, are we? If JR provides good data we otherwise cannot see from City info made public, then the “blindfold” continues. However, when JR looks at a list of names, can identify positions held, and divisions served, knows time of PD employment and union contracts through the years, he allows a glimpse at what people suspect but have no way to research and probe otherwise.
There is a place for this sharing and it is OIB. Thank you, JR. Perhaps others will participate in drawing a clear picture for the entire community. Time will tell.
Mr. JML. I have no issue with his statement as it’s factual. Check my first comment on this page. My issue is the hypocrisy on his part. He worked in that division and made loads of money. His issue is he bailed out prior to the new plan and has been upset ever since it came to exist.
So it is about ‘timing’? Isn’t that what I say when I post a message? Time will tell?
Some retirees get the advantage of acting on good information, and some apparently do not receive words of wisdom from their union. And then when they retire they can no longer count on union word because they no longer are represented. And sometimes they see people who should have been covered under Plan A, stick around long enough to gain the benefits of Plan B, maybe and wonder why. And the taxpayer has little if any understanding of what importance this is to his tax bill, to his actual safety in the City, or to the fact the path to increasing City economic development values is seriously affected by the mil rate. And we do not know why the recent administrations have been so generous to PD unions at the expense of taxpayer dollars going to support priority education missions in the city. Time will tell.
So Mr. Phantom, you hide behind a moniker because you don’t have the stones to use your real name. Here’s my point. I never ever cracked the top 100 when I was on the job even when I worked in those divisions. Second, there should be way more patrol officers the heart and soul of the department on that list not special details like IA and Captains in the DB. As for whining about not being part of the new pension plan, I could care less. They joined a state plan that is not stable and was under funded when they joined it. Talk to me in 10 years when the state starts sending letters out saying they can’t make those pension payments. It happened in NJ and CA. That pension deal could have been negotiated with the City 15 years ago because our Pension Plan B is pretty stable and all that was needed was for the membership to put more into the fund easing the burden on the taxpayers. Now if you wish to discuss this feel free to ask someone who knows me to give you my number. I promise not to divulge your secret identity.
Who is Azzaritto? Is he connected?
Here is one that never made the headlines or OIB. What has been done about a former PD sergeant who retired from Bridgeport on disability and now works as a patrolmen in Meriden CT? I know for a fact that is illegal. Are we still paying out this pension money?
I can’t fault patrolmen who are offered extra work and take all they can get. I have to question the deputy chief, captains, sergeants and some detectives. The deputy chief, captain and sergeants are supervisors. What were these people doing to earn this type of money? You wonder if there was an oversight committee asking the hard question why and could their job have been done by someone else and a lesser rank. How much of the overtime could have been done on straight time?
Patrolmen fill cop cars and work with utility companies. Detectives are investigators. The supervisors do not have to piggyback from what the people under them are doing. Could this be the case for some of the earnings? I don’t think this is sustainable if someone did a cost to benefit analysis you will see there isn’t much of a return considering what is being spent.
There has to be a better way to curb the earnings of these high-ranking Officers. You would think the Deputy chiefs and captains would look to reduce unnecessary overtime. Not everyone made the list.
I would like to see what each Deputy chief, captain and lieutenant did to “earn” this money. If someone looked back on it a lot of this was really unnecessary. Clearly some folks there care nothing about reducing overtime.
So much for doing more with less.