Police Chief's 17 Percent Raise Concerns Some on Branford RTM

Branford Police Chief Kevin Halloran’s annual salary is set to rise 17 percent over the next three years, and not all Representative Town Meeting members are happy about it.

Halloran’s job performance was not in question when the raise was approved earlier this month, as several members of the RTM praised the chief for how he has executed his duties for the past five years. The RTM voted 19-7 to approve the raise, in part because the bump in pay will bring Halloran in line with police chief’s in similarly sized communities in the state.

It was more about the size of the raise in the current political and fiscal climate, and the message that will send to other department heads.

“I can guarantee it, all the department heads are going to come to us to get raises, too. Everyone always thinks they’re worth more, but a job is worth only so much,” said RTM member Marc Riccio, as reported by the New Haven Register. “The federal government is broke, the state is broke. I don’t want the town of Branford to go broke.”

Click here to the full story on the New Haven Register website.