Town Council votes big boost to mayor’s pay

As published in the Record Journal, Wednesday May 1, 2013
By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - The Town Council voted unanimously to increase the mayor’s salary by $12,000 at a budget workshop Tuesday night.

In Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr.’s $147.94 million budget proposal for the next fiscal year, he kept his salary at a figure that has been the same since at least 2002 — $73,140. With the $12,000 increase, the mayor’s salary would increase to $85,140.

According to the Town Charter, compensation cannot be changed during the term of the incumbent mayor. Dickinson’s term is ending after this year, so the salary for the next term can now be set.

Town Council Vice Chairman Vincent Cervoni, a Republican, said he believed the position’s salary should be comparable to what area chief executives are making.

As of 2011, Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback was paid $149,000 per year; Meriden City Manager Lawrence J. Kendzior was paid $139,000 annually and Cheshire Town Manager Michael Milone earned $131,350 per year.

Dickinson, a Republican, has repeatedly refused raises because of the state of the economy. When a motion to increase the mayor’s salary was introduced by Cervoni Tuesday night, Dickinson advised the council to be cautious.

“It might be good to wait on this until we know what’s going on with the larger picture,” Dickinson said. “There’s so much going on with the state.”

But Town Council Chairman Robert F. Parisi said he would rather the councilors vote on the motion and remove it in the future if it came down to it.

Since the town’s budget doesn’t take effect on the first day of the year, but rather in the middle of a year, the 201314 budget would only be affected by $6,000, according to Councilor Jason Zandri, a Democrat who will run against Dickinson later this year. The budget for the following fiscal year would include the entire $12,000, he said.

Cervoni said he was trying to be conscious of the taxpayers when determining how much money to increase the mayor’s salary by. He tried to choose a number that “would minimize the impact on the taxpayer,” he said. But Zandri said $12,000 is “a rounding error.”

“It wouldn’t affect taxpayers’ money at all ... it’s too low of a number to change the mill rate or affect the taxpayer,” he said.

Although the Town Council voted to increase the mayor’s salary, the $12,000 increase isn’t exactly carved in stone, according to James Bowes, the town’s comptroller.

“Just because it is in the budget, doesn’t mean it’ll happen,” he told the council.

Zandri said there are a number of ways the salary increase could change. The Town Council still has to vote to approve the budget and Zandri said Dickinson can veto it if he sees something he doesn’t like. While there is a possibility the salary increase may not come to pass, Zandri was pleased to see the other councilors supporting the raise.

“It’s a start,” Zandri said. “The time to do this is now.”