Despite financial woes Saugus pays well

SAUGUS – While town officials claim they are grappling with budget shortfalls the cutbacks don’t appear to be affecting salaries.Despite a study released by Town Manager Andrew Bisignani earlier this year that put town salaries in the low-end category compared to like communities, some town employees seem to be making out just fine.Retired history teacher Barry DeNofrio ranks only 44th on the list of salaries but the teacher’s union president brought home a whopping $92,343.52 in his final academic year. Salary-wise that put him well above elementary School principals Sue Carney, Uri Harel and Glen McKay and veteran elementary principal Kathleen Stanton and Belmonte Middle School Principal Charles Nasso.Click here reach complete list of Saugus salariesDeNofrio, along with five other teachers also made more money than Department of Public Works Superintendent Joseph Attubato. Attubato ranked 67 with a salary of $83,562.The Police Department was once again the big winners in the salary lottery accounting for 22 of the top 25 spots for 2007 but much of that can be attributed to a retroactive contract settlement and detail work.Lt. Thomas Coogan topped the 2007 salary list with $147,496 and also topped the gross salary list after picking up $30,251 in detail work. But department spokesman, Lt. Michael Annese noted that Coogan’s nearly $10,000 salary jump is largely the result of settling a contract.”The Superior Officers have received two retroactive checks due to the settlement,” said Annese who ranked eighth on the list and picked up $3,800 in detail work. “We get one more check in July but those first two were a lot of money.”Annese said overtime also bolstered salaries. With a manpower shortage, three officers recalled to military duty and a number of officers on medical leave Annese said, “the guys were killing themselves with overtime.”Then there is detail work.Officer Timothy Fawcett made the most impressive salary leap as a result of detail work. After taking home $72,778.80 in straight pay Fawcett didn’t even rank in the top 50 salaries but add the $53,086 he made in detail work and he comes in 11th.Detective Dana Bates also made noteworthy strides boosting his $75,000 by $38,231 in detail work putting him 17th on the list.Annese is quick to point out that not only does the town not fund detail work it actually makes a little money on the deals.If a utility company or construction crew needs an officer to direct traffic, Annese said it pays a set amount to hire a detail officer. The town bills the company and receives 10 percent of whatever the officer makes.”We bring in revenue by working the details,” he said. “It’s not much but it adds up.”The salary list is rounded out with only a handful of Town Hall employees including treasurer/collector Wendy Hatch, Building Inspector Frederick Varone, two cemetery workers and Kasabuski Arena manager John Hatch with a salary of $58,800. The town will likely get to drop Hatch’s salary next year if it is successful in leasing the deficit carrying ice rink.