NEWPORT — Edward Lavallee Jr. used to be surrounded by the police when he worked as an administrator inside police headquarters.

Now that he’s the city manager, he’s not rubbing shoulders with officers as much. But in one respect he remains right in among them — on a list of Newport’s top 10 highest paid municipal employees in 2006, as compiled by The Providence Journal.

Lavallee ranks third, with $128,750 in income. Seven of the other nine employees on the list are police officers, including Lt. Jose F. Costa, whose earnings of $145,555 put him in first place, just slightly ahead of Sgt. John F. Barker Jr., who made $145,352.

There are a few reasons why the police officers not only dominated Newport’s top 10, but were easily among the highest compensated officers in the state in 2006. One was that the city settled a contract dispute with the police union and gave officers retroactive raises going back two years.

Also, as in many other communities, police officers willing to put in extra time worked details and accepted overtime to add to their base salaries. Private businesses are billed for the details.

“They earn it and God bless them,” says Lavallee. “It’s a lot of hours. When you are at home, they are working.”

Costa, for example, had a base salary of $64,219, with overtime of $28,250, detail pay of $30,005 and retroactive pay of $15,385. Barker had a base salary of $57,448, with overtime of $30,680, detail pay of $30,312 and retroactive pay of $14,195. [The policeman who made the most in detail pay in 2006, $33,000, was Eric J. Barden, a probationary officer whose base salary was only $36,169 and who didn’t make the top 10]

Rounding out the list were two administrators. One was Fire Chief Edward W. McCarthy Jr., now retired, who made $121,116, the fourth highest figure in 2006. Of that amount, $108,000 was his base salary and $13,007 was for other compensation, such as longevity and uniform pay.

The other administrator who made the top 10 list, just barely, was finance director Laura Sitrin, with earnings of $107,935. She ranked 10th.

On the school side, the top spot went to the top administrator, Supt. John Ambrogi, with earnings of $137,548, including a base salary of $126,185. Ambrogi said he presumed his added pay of $11,363 probably included compensation for unused vacation days. His contract requires him to be paid for them annually, instead of accruing them until he leaves the job, typically at a higher rate of pay.

“The committee and I both thought that was a fair way of doing things,” Ambrogi said.

Ambrogi said it makes sense for him to be the top paid employee in the School Department, just as principals should be earning more than teachers.

In fact, the rest of the list is made up mostly of principals, whose earnings ranged from $85,390 for Underwood principal Nancy Daponte-Easter (who resigned last summer) to a high of $102,446 for Sullivan principal Maria Mara Schulz. The other principal on the list who resigned last year is Michael Breault, formerly of Coggeshall School.

Special education director Amy Roche Donnelly fell in the middle of the principals’ pay range, with $89,207 in income. Partway through the year, Donnelly replaced Linda Martin, who retired. Martin received $45,740 in salary and $40,289 in other pay, which Ambrogi said was in all likelihood pay for unused sick and vacation time.

Only one teacher made the list, Joanne Ritchie, with income of $86,114, including base pay of $77,517.

Compiled by Paul Edward Parker

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

Source: City of Newport

Compiled by Paul Edward Parker

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL

Source: Newport School Dept.

rsalit@projo.com