By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — Police officers and firefighters led the ranks of the 25 top wage earners from the town side of government last year.

Overtime and outside duty were lucrative for many. Overall compensation for some lower-ranking police officers and firefighters was higher than departmental brass, including the chiefs. That reflects the same pattern of last year’s top town-side compensation.

One firefighter was paid nearly double in such duty as from his base salary.

In that regard, the town-side list differed from the Board of Education’s list, where nearly all of the most highly compensated employees were top administrators.

Town Finance Director Gary Conrad at No. 10; Police Chief Foti Koskinas, No. 18, and Fire Chief Michael Kronick, No. 22, were the only municipal department heads whose overall pay made the top-25 list,

Here are 2022’s top earners on the town government side of the municipal ledger:

1. David Librandi, police sergeant II (base earnings $120,782, overtime/other $50,280, outside duty $123,891), total $294,953.
2. Howard Simpson, police corporal (base earnings $106,560, OT/other $131,246, outside duty $49,712), total $287,519.
3. Sereniti Dobson, police lieutenant (base earnings $125,745, OT/other $55,702, outside duty $73,055), total $254,503.
4. Anthony Falbo, police officer (base earnings $100,180, OT/other $33,895, outside duty $110,441), total $244,517.
5. Matthew Willie, firefighter (base earnings $87,898, OT/other $149,081, outside duty $1,180), total $238,160.
6. Anthony Prezioso, police lieutenant (base earnings $142,161, OT/other $14,830, outside duty $60,345), total $217,337.
7. Matthew Cohen, assistant fire chief (base earnings $131,85, OT/other $84,343), total $216,201.
8. Eric Woods, police lieutenant (base earnings $142,456, OT/other $15,652, outside duty $56,941), total $215,050.
9. Ryan Paulsson, deputy police chief (base earnings $168,041, OT/other $16,709, outside duty $22,880), total $207,631.
10. Gary Conrad, finance director (base earnings $195,508, OT/other $8,347), total $203,856.
11. Erin Shaw, police detective (base earnings $106,319, OT/other $50,531, outside duty $41,055), total $197,906.
12. Jillian Cabana, police lieutenant (base earnings $142,161, OT/other $14,820, outside duty $40,888), total $197,871.
13. Matthew Gouveia, police lieutenant (base earnings $145,662, OT/other $15,676, outside duty $35,103), total $196,443.
14. Richard Bagley, police sergeant II (base earnings $119,164, OT/other $43,528, outside duty $33,399), total $196,092.
15. Jonathan Lauria, police detective (base earnings $111,356, OT/other $58,572, outside duty $22,952), total $192,880.
16. Kevin Smith, police corporal (base earnings $100,143, OT/other $71,863, outside duty $19,073), total $191,080.
17. Brian Meadows, assistant fire chief (base earnings $131,856, OT/other $58,649), total $190,506.
18. Foti Koskinas, police chief (base earnings $187,585, OT/other $ 1,292), total $188,878.
19. Shawn Wong Won, police corporal (base earnings $106,728, OT/other $ 79,573, outside duty $362), total $186,664.
20. James Loomer, police officer (base earnings $ 100,094, OT/other $ 69,608, outside duty $16,466), total $186,169.
21. David Farrell, deputy police chief (base earnings $168,041, OT/other $ 16,729, outside duty $1,180), total $185,951.
22. Michael Kronick, fire chief (base earnings $171,228, OT/other $ 14,616), total $185,845.
23. Joseph Velky, police desk officer (base earnings $105,333, OT/other $61,607, outside duty $ 15,860), total $182,802.
24. Anthony Maisano, fire lieutenant (base earnings $100,732, OT/other $78,064, outside duty $2,169), total $180,967.
25. Michael Durette, firefighter (base earnings $ 87,245, OT/other $ 89,837, outside duty $ 2,753), total $179,837.

The town’s Finance Department noted when releasing the information to the Westport Journal that pensions are based on base pay, college credit stipend (max $1,000) and shooting pay for police (max $1,440).

Outside duty is paid by the contracting vendor and is not an expense to the taxpayer.

Thane Grauel, the Westport Journal executive editor, grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond more than three decades. Learn more about us here.