Top salaries in Glen Cove go to police

The top 34 salaries in Glen Cove in 2013 were in the police department.

The highest paid employee who did not retire was police Chief William Whitton, who made $238,000, of which $4,570 was overtime.

The three most highly compensated employees on Long Island in 2013 were Lt. John Mandatto, who was paid $491,371; Officer Francis Pallone, who was paid $417,764; and Officer Eric Maerz, who was paid $324,716. All three retired last year or at the end of 2012 and their compensation included retirement, vacation and other payouts in addition to their salaries.

Glen Cove's total workforce declined in 2013 to 563 from 589, which includes full-time, part-time and seasonal workers. The city's payroll costs also declined, to $18.6 million from $21.1 million.

Glen Cove Comptroller Sal Lombardi said part of that reduction was explained by retirements in the police department.

Overtime costs went down to 7.16 percent of total compensation from 8.52 percent in 2012. Lombardi said that could in part be due to police retirements.

Another factor driving down costs were new contracts with the police union and Civil Service Employees Association.

"There have been new [pay] scales created for incoming employees that are a little bit lower starting points and have a slower growth rate than the prior scales," Lombardi said.

Glen Cove's average compensation, at $33,024, was slightly lower than the Islandwide average of $34,178. Lombardi said the city's salaries were competitive. Former Mayor Ralph Suozzi made a salary of $100,000, which ranked him as 10th in compensation among Long Island's town supervisors and Long Beach's city manager.