Ansonia Aldermen Dec. 19 approved salaries for two new hires in Mayor David Cassetti’s administration, but not before some political pushback — some of it from the mayor’s own party.
Background
Shortly after being sworn in last month, Cassetti hired a new grant writer, Sheila O’Malley, and a chief administrative officer, Chris Tymniak.
O’Malley, an Oakville resident, previously served as chief administrative officer and economic development director under Derby Mayor Anthony Staffieri’s administration.
She also has experience as the chief of staff for former Waterbury Mayor Michael Jarjura, a role she was in from January to May 2007, according to her resume.
Tymniak, who lives in Fairfield, was most recently a principal at The Capitol Edge, a Connecticut-based political consultancy.
He also worked as the legislative program manager for the Department of Motor Vehicles in the administration of former Gov. M. Jodi Rell from July 2010 to January 2011, when current Gov. Dannel Malloy took office.
The pair replace former grant writer Eileen Krugel, who chairs the local Democratic Town Committee, and Tara Kolakowski, who held the positions of government liaison and personnel director in former mayor James Della Volpe’s administration.
Krugel and Kolakowski were being paid salaries of $50,282 and $69,363, respectively, when Cassetti took office. (Kolakowski was making $53,170 in her role as government liaison, plus $16,193 in her capacity as acting personnel director)
The mayor asked Aldermen to approve paying O’Malley $55,000 annually, and Tymniak $72,000.
To rationalize the increases, Cassetti pointed to the fact that the city will pay him a $54,000 salary during his first term, a $37,967 “savings” from Della Volpe’s salary, which had been $91,967 when he lost last month’s election.
For some reason, Ansonia gives mayors raises if they get re-elected.
Click here for more background on how Ansonia pays its mayors from a 2009 story in the New Haven Register.
Here’s Della Volpe’s pay history over the last several years, according to city budget documents online:
- FY 2009 – 2010: $75,290
- FY 2010 – 2011: $77,650, increase: 3.13 percent
- FY 2011 – 2012: $84,266, increase: 8.52 percent
- FY 2012 – 2013: $88,956, increase: 5.57 percent
- FY 2013 – 2014: $91,967, increase: 3.38 percent
Criticism
During the Dec. 19 Aldermen’s meeting, First Ward Democratic Alderman Edward Adamowski drew attention to the fact that Cassetti’s pay won’t stay the same if he gets re-elected.
“If you want to put it in here as a ‘savings’ this year for the mayor’s salary, that’s fine, it might balance out this year,” Adamowski, a Democrat, said. “But as his salary increases, you’re just completely raising the salaries at City Hall, which is something that everybody said couldn’t happen.”
Adamowski also criticized the new administration for firing Krugel and Kolakowski, who live in town, and hiring O’Malley and Tymniak, two out-of-towners, as replacements.
Jerome Fainer, a Fourth Ward Democratic Alderman, agreed with Adamowski.
“Saying this is all a savings, giving these people raises, is beyond me,” he said. “The big issue I read in the paper all the time during the elections was ‘We’re going to get rid of a million dollars of administrative salaries in City Hall.’ It’s two weeks and you’re already raising all these people’s salaries and getting rid of people.”
Click the play button on the video above to see a portion of Adamowski’s and Fainer’s remarks.
Later in the discussion, Fainer, who is married to Krugel, acknowledged that fact but said he wasn’t being critical because of it.
“It’s not saving the city money,” he said. “You had qualified people, and not because it was my wife. My wife brought this town a lot of money, $6 to $7 million. If that’s not doing her job, I don’t know who was. Giving raises is not saving the city money.”
The two Democrats were joined in their criticism by Joan Radin and Daniel Evans, Republicans from the Fifth and Seventh Wards, respectively.
“I don’t feel like I was elected to be raising salaries and spending money,” Evans said. “I just don’t think that’s why I was sent here. I’m not prepared to face my constituents and tell them that the positions we had before, we let those people go, we hired some new people, we’re going to pay them a little bit more, because they’re really good people, and trust me on this. I’m not prepared to have that conversation.”
Radin said she’s been hearing criticism already from customers at Lear Pharmacy, the Wakelee Avenue business she owns.
The city should put aside the savings from Cassetti making less than Della Volpe, she said.
“I’m a senior citizen, the people in my ward are senior citizens, and many of them are making just enough to survive on,” Radin said. “They’re very upset with the whole thing.”
Response
Other Aldermen responded to the criticism by noting O’Malley and Tymniak are well-qualified for the positions they’re taking.
They also don’t have employment contracts, meaning they serve at Cassetti’s pleasure.
And if they don’t prove their worth, they won’t be in their positions very long.
“They both bring a lot to the table and they are at-will employees, so if they don’t perform, we can in essence terminate them,” Second Ward Republican Alderman Lorie Vaccaro said.
Patrick Henri, a Sixth Ward Republican, said O’Malley and Tymniak aren’t getting “raises” because they’re new hires and their job descriptions are different.
Article continues after video of Henri and Radin speaking.
David Blackwell, a Republican who represents the Seventh Ward, responded to Adamowski’s criticism by saying he prefers the city look out of town for employees.
“I like the fact that they’re from out of town,” he said. “We have no loyalty to them as far as who they know in town, as far as voters, as far as family affiliation. If they do not perform to their expected ability, we have no problem with letting them go.”
Charles Stowe, a Republican from the First Ward, agreed.
He said he regretted the fact that Krugel and Kolakowski were shown the door, but that that’s just the way things are.
“If you want to come and work here, you’re under the mayor’s prerogative,” Stowe said. “If the mayor loses, you could lose your job. And it’s unfortunate, that part, but that’s the way it is.”
Stowe went on to say he was expecting the new administration to produce a budget next year with no tax increase.
“I expect zero (increase),” he said. “And if we can’t do that, well then, we’re disappointing the people that voted for us, and that’s on us.”
Aldermen approved the salaries for O’Malley and Tymniak by a 9 – 4 vote, with Fainer, Radin, Adamowski, and Evans voting no.
‘You Sound Like Obama’
Later in the meeting, when discussing the salary of the new town clerk, Stowe and Evans sparred over governing principles.
“This group is obligated by its voters to shake up how the city has been run and bring savings to the people,” Stowe said. “There’s going to be some cost increases to do that, Mr. Evans.”
Stowe then implied Evans hadn’t read paperwork distributed to the Aldermen going over the “savings” realized from Cassetti’s lower salary.
“Savings is what it’s all about,” Stowe said. “Sometimes you have to spend money to save money.”
“You sound like Obama,” Evans shot back.
Stowe bristled at the comparison to the Democratic president, instead invoking the name of a famous Republican one.
“No, I sound like a conservative Republican, someone like Ronald Reagan, perhaps,” he responded.
