By John Schwing

WESTPORT — Police and fire personnel, with one exception, dominated the list of the highest-paid employees on the town side of the 2024 fiscal ledger.

When their overall compensation packages, including pay for overtime and outside jobs, are compared with 2024 data for Westport public schools’ staff, the highest-paid town-side employees’ wages largely mirror those paid school administrators. Police and fire personnel also dominated the 2023 list.

The exception in town vs. school compensation comparisons is Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice, who is the highest-paid official from both public payrolls. His total compensation of $356,446.28 last year was $40,000 more than the highest-paid town employee, police Cpl. Howard Simpson.

The only Town Hall official to break through the ranks of police and fire personnel in the top 25 highest-paid town employees is Gary Conrad, the town’s finance director.

First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker, who as the town’s chief executive officer supervises all town-side departments and their employees, was paid total compensation of $160,365.12 last year — just over half as much paid to top-earner Simpson.

Town employees are paid from the municipal side of all expenditures — for the current fiscal year, that’s $84.3 million out of a total budget of nearly $247 million, inclusive of education spending and debt service.

Note: Compensation for “outside jobs,” which constitutes a significant share of overall wages for some town-side employees, is paid by the contracting vendors and not charged to taxpayers.

Following is the list of the 25 largest compensation packages paid to town-side employees in 2024:

Police Cpl. Howard Simpson: $316,280 total — $122,658 base wages, plus $58,294 overtime/other wages and $135,327 for outside jobs.

Firefighter Christopher Carroll: $297,892 total — $104,430 base wages, plus $189,992 overtime/other wages and $3,470 for outside jobs.

Police Lt. Sereniti Taranto: $281,989 total — $150,441 base wages, plus $21,334 overtime/other wages and $110,215 for outside jobs.

Police Sgt. David Librandi: $274,784 total — $120,972 base wages, plus $40,289 overtime/other wages and $113,522 for outside jobs.

Police Lt. Anthony Prezioso: $262,110 total — $150,372 base wages, plus $15,488 overtime/other wages and $96,250 for outside jobs.

Police Officer Anthony Falbo: $255,748 total — $100,751 base wages, plus $24,145 overtime/other wages and $130,852 for outside jobs.

Assistant Fire Chief Brian Meadows: $254,266 total — $159,967 base wages, plus $94,299 overtime/other wages.

Fire Lt. Matthew Wille: $251,415 total — $115,797 base wages, plus $135,618 overtime/other wages.

Deputy Fire Chief Matthew Cohen: $238,558 total — $171,557 base wages, plus $66,661 overtime/other wages and $340 for outside jobs.

Police Cpl. Samuel Sabin: $236,095 total — $101,251 base wages, plus $103,641 overtime/other wages and $31,203 for outside jobs.

Firefighter Michael Durette: $235,365 total — $106,047 base wages, plus $128,851 overtime/other wages and $467 for outside jobs.

Firefighter Christopher Kostopoulos: $234,295 total — $105,653 base wages, plus $128,303 overtime/other wages and $340 for outside jobs.

Town Finance Director Gary Conrad: $229,074 total — $217,032 base wages, plus $12,043 overtime/other wages.

Fire Lt. Anthony Maisano: $227,066 total — $128,931 base wages, plus $95,027 overtime/other wages and $3,108 for outside jobs.

Police Officer Bernard Kelley: $224,557 total — $95,008 base wages, plus $92,309 overtime/other wages and $37,240 for outside jobs.

Firefighter Todd Hall: $222,528 total — $106,553 base wages, plus $115,042 overtime/other wages and $934 for outside jobs.

Firefighter James Workman: $218,613 total — $105,542 base wages, plus $113,071 overtime/other wages.

Police Cpl. Shawn Wong Won: $216,201 total — $104,270 base wages, plus $108,821 overtime/other wages and $3,111 for outside jobs.

Deputy Police Chief Ryan Paulsson: $212,181 total — $170,918 base wages, plus $24,413 overtime/other wages and $16,850 for outside jobs.

Firefighter Eric Pironto: $212,097 total — $104,956 base wages, plus $107,141 overtime/other wages.

Police Lt. Eric Woods: $209,374 total — $150,433 base wages, plus $16,310 overtime/other wages and $42,632 for outside jobs.

Firefighter Paul Spennato: $208,306 total — $105,802 base wages, plus $102,504 overtime/other wages.

Police Lt. Matthew Gouveia: $206,162 total — $150,372 base wages, plus $16,334 overtime/other wages and $39,456 for outside jobs.

Firefighter Joshua Gamble: $205,086 total — $106,390 base wages, plus $97,605 overtime/other wages and $1,090 for outside jobs.

Police Officer Scott Aliberti: $204,610 total — $101,751 base wages, plus $90,632 overtime/other wages and $12,226 for outside jobs.

John Schwing, interim editor of the Westport Journal, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.