Somers mulls raises for town clerk, first selectman

Susan Danseyar, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
·2 min read

Dec. 6—SOMERS — After postponing a discussion last summer on raises for elected officials, the Board of Selectmen is ready to grant them, contingent on the Board of Finance's approval.

Selectmen recently voted unanimously to raise Town Clerk David Marti's salary from $67,000 to $70,350, or 5%, pending approval by the Board of Finance.

Should the Board of Finance approve the selectmen's decision at its Dec. 20 meeting, Marti's raise would go into effect Jan. 1.

Selectmen approved salary raises for town employees in June but delayed discussing raises for elected officials, saying they had only been in office for six months and it would be better to revisit the topic when they had held office for a year.

Last month marked a year since Marti was elected as town clerk.

First Selectman Timothy R.E. Keeney said during a meeting last week that Marti only has part-time help in his office to cover all the necessary work under the town clerk's responsibilities. In towns similar in size, Keeney said, the town clerks have one or two full-time workers in their offices and are often acting as supervisors.

"In this case, David does the work," Keeney said. "We are lucky to have him.

Funds to cover the raise are already available in the budget, so the additional $3,350 would just involve a line item transfer, according to Assistant Finance Director Brian Wissinger.

The board also discussed giving Keeney a raise now that he has held the office of first selectman for 12 months.

It's been several years since the first selectman's salary has been raised. Keeney is currently earning $93,000 annually.

Selectman Robert Schmidt suggested that the board come up with a percentage for Keeney's raise and have it go into effect on Jan. 1. He mentioned Ellington's first selectman, Lori Spielman, earns $96,000.

But Selectman William Meier III said the raise could be a controversial topic after former First Selectman C.G. "Bud" Knorr in 2020 gave raises to town employees, including himself, without first checking with the Board of Finance.

Knorr later apologized and asked Chief Financial Officer Michael Marinaccio to rescind his salary increase.

Meier, who agreed Keeney should be considered for a raise, said the best procedure would be to present the issue before the Board of Finance at its Dec. 20 meeting.

Should the Board of Finance approve a raise for Keeney, selectmen could vote on it during their Jan. 3 meeting and make the increase retroactive to Jan. 1. Meier said.

For more coverage of Somers and Enfield, follow Susan Danseyar on Twitter: @susandanseyar, Facebook: Susan Danseyar, reporter.