East Windsor cuts raises for police chief, deputy

Sep. 13—EAST WINDSOR — The Police Commission has decided to reduce the $7.50-per-hour pay raise originally issued for Police Chief Edward DeMarco Jr. and Deputy Police Chief Roger Hart to $5 per hour after hearing the public's concern, which the commission blames on misleading information from the first selectman.

The original pay raise was issued by the commission at its July 13 meeting, but First Selectman Jason Bowsza declined to sign the payroll change form over concerns about the reasoning and amount.

Police Commission Chairman Robert Leach believed that Bowsza's involvement in the process was unnecessary and illegal.

But Bowsza said he thought the actions he took were within his rights and duties as the first selectman because of the town charter, which states that he has the authority to enter into, administer, and terminate contracts including, but not limited to, employment and collective bargaining agreements.

A special counsel hired by the Board of Selectmen ultimately decided that the commission is solely responsible for administering the pay raises and the board had no legal right to deny them.

That decision prompted the board to release a statement Sept. 2 that there was no evidence to support a merit-based raise and that Bowsza would not sign the payroll change forms.

"The Board of Selectmen are not supportive of this change," the statement read. "We encourage those who share our objections to the wage increases to address those concerns with the Police Commission."

The Police Commission said its members listened to an "extensive and comprehensive presentation regarding executive level police wages in Connecticut and in New England."

The commission also said it sent a letter to the Board of Selectmen on Aug. 18 that explained the merit-based accomplishments and accolades for DeMarco and Hart.

"Their statement is not only misleading, but it is caustic, and we felt it absolutely necessary to release this official statement of truth, to set the public record straight," the commission wrote.

No legal action was taken by the commission against the Board of Selectmen, even though the special counsel deemed Bowsza's action to be illegal.

The commission said that the $5-per-hour pay increase can be properly funded through the normal operating budget.

"We do listen to the public and their concerns," the commission wrote.

Collin covers South Windsor and East Hartford for the Journal Inquirer.