A pair of Stamford police captains each received more than $400,000 in compensation last year, according to city records.
The city of Stamford spent $314.5 million on salaries and compensation for the calendar year of 2018, a 1.9 percent increase in spending compared to 2017. According to the city, even though Stamford continues to grow its Grand List, the increase is equal to the 1.9 percent rise of inflation in the U.S. for 2018 as reported by the Bureau for Labor Statistics.
The $314.5 million accounts for the salaries and compensation of over 5,000 full-time and part-time employees, 95 percent of whom belong to the police, fire or education unions.
Leading the list was police Capt. Richard Conklin, who received a total of $438,300, including $136,521 in base pay, $189,083 in overtime, and $112,696 in extra-duty pay. He was followed by Capt. Diedrich Hohn, whose total earnings of $411,680 included $129,092 in base pay, $167,948 in overtime, and $55,499 in extra-duty pay.
The top nonpolice earner was Superintendent Earl Kim, who came in ninth at $276,125. Mayor David Martin was 117th, with $175,662. The mayor”™s office noted that although some members of his cabinet make over $100,000, none of them are in the top 100 highest earners on the list.
“Unlike other elected officials ”“ for example the governor of Connecticut, the governor of New Jersey, the mayor of Boston, the mayor of Seattle, or other mayors in Connecticut ”“ Stamford does not provide pensions, personal drivers or estate mansions for its mayor or any of the administration”™s cabinet,” Martin”™s office said. “Additionally, some cabinet members make significantly less than $100,000 and at least one member is a volunteer who does not take a salary at all.”
The average salary for the mayor”™s cabinet was $112,969, less than the average compensation of fire union workers ($125,573) and police union workers ($152,361).
The average salary for a city employee is $62,827, or $76,271 if part-time and seasonal workers are excluded.
“Stamford”™s city administration is a collection of incredibly qualified professionals that any resident in Connecticut should want to have running their city,” Martin said. “We believe our staff”™s compensation is reasonable, given their responsibilities and the amount of work their positions entail.”
