Shanley Tops List of Town's Top Earners

General Manager Scott Shanley topped the list of the town’s highest paid employees during the 2010 calendar year, earning a total salary of $149,329.96, while six of the town’s 10 highest paid employees during that time were members of the Police Department, who mostly augmented their salaries through overtime earnings and private detail assignments.

Shanley’s $149,329.96 in earnings in 2010 was his total base salary, according to information provided by the town; he did not receive any additional stipends or overtime payments.

When asked, Shanley said he thought his salary – and the salaries that Manchester pays to its employees – were “competitive” and what were needed to attract the best candidates.

“I’m certainly grateful for the salary that the Board of Directors elects to pay me,” said Shanley, who has served as General Manger (Manchester’s chief executive) since January of 2006; prior to that, Shanley served as Enfield’s Town Manager for nine years.

. Enfield’s population in 2010, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, was 45,212; in comparison, the U.S. Census bureau listed Manchester’s 2010 population as 58,241.

When Southington, which had an estimated population of 42,534, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, went searching for a new town manager in December of 2010 it found one in the person of . The Southington Town Council elected to pay Brumback an annual salary of $149,000, a significant increase over the $117,000 annual salary Southington paid to 44-year veteran John Weichsel, who retired from the position at the end of 2010.

Manchester’s second highest earner in 2010 was Police Detective James Graham, who earned $69,208.36 in base salary and an additional $71,440.77 through overtime and private detail work. The third through sixth highest paid town employees during the 2010 calendar year were also police officers.

Police Chief Marc Montminy said that the majority of the officers’ who appeared on the list, or those who earn a lot in compensation, generally do so by working private detail duties paid by outside contractors and that he felt that Manchester’s overtime budget was on the lower end compared to similar departments.

“The guys who are willing to work those 16 hour days, and usually half of that is private detail work, are the ones you see earning the big bucks,” Montminy said.

Montminy said that overtime work paid through the department is based on seniority, but that the town is attempting to negotiate a new contract with the police union that would restrict the amount of hours in a day an officer can work in overtime and private detail assignments out of concern that some officers might be logging too many hours in a day.

The list of the town’s top 10 earners for the 2010 calendar year is as follows:

1. Scott Shanley, General Manager
Salary: $149,329.96 Other Compensation: x Total: $149,329.96

2. James Graham, Police Detective                  
Salary: $69,208.36 Other Compensation: $71,440.77 Total: $140,649.13

3. Santo Ficara, Police Sergeant
Salary: $73,653.58 Other Compensation: $65,032.29 Total: $138,685.87

4. Richard Boyle, Police Officer                
Salary: $66,022.58 Other Compensation: $69,017.87 Total: $135,040.45

5. Christopher Davis, Police Lieutenant                  
Salary: $ 79,071.98 Other Compensation: $50,908.17 Total: $129,980.15

6. Jason Wagner, Police Officer                  
Salary: $ 66,022.58 Other Compensation: $57,403.40 Total: $123,425.98

7. Diane Moore, Director of Administrative Services
Salary: $120,785.60 Other Compensation: x Total: $120,785.60

8. Mark Pellegrini, Director of Economic Development
Salary: $119,262.00 Other Compensation: $500 Total: $119,762.00

9. Jack McCoy, Chief Information Officer    
Salary: $ 118,166.88 Other Compensation: $1,500 Total: $119,666.88

10. Howard Beeler, Police Sergeant 
Salary: $73,653.58 Other Compensation: $43,370.78 Total: $117,024.36

Editor’s Note: Manchester Patch will post a story on the 10 highest paid earners through the Board of Education, also considered town employees, on Wednesday.