Simsbury Selectmen to Reconsider First Selectman Salary, Appoint New Town Leader

On Monday, the Simsbury Board of Selectman will consider whether to take another look at cutting the first selectman's pay by 35-percent.

That comes after a week of intense public reaction to First Selectman Mary Glassman announcing her resignation in the face of a pay cut from $113,000 to $75,000 next summer.

“I have never been involved in an issue like this,” says Mike Paine, a republican Simsbury selectman. “I’m hearing a couple different camps, a lot of concern, a lot of emotion.”

Earlier this week, Glassman announced she would resign from the position next month. She's held the position for more than 15-years. The democrat said it was an effort to protect her pension and called the select board's decision, “personal and political.”

Last week, three republicans, including Paine, voted for the cut. One republican and one democrat voted against.

“I think there are some misconceptions out there that this was personal. It was partisan and everything else. I don’t believe it was,” says Paine. “I know it wasn’t for me and I was really. My job on the board of selectman is to look out for the town’s best interest and that’s done in a multitude, by looking at a multitude of different things and that’s why I was trying to do.”

Selectmen argued this was a part of a plan to reorganize positions in town. The town had hired a consultant to improve operations. Glassman said she had supported the pay trimming as of the next election, not mid-term.

A petition started on Moveon.org called for the select board to reconsider its decision. As on Friday night, more than 1350 people had signed it.

The agenda for the upcoming board meeting on Monday now includes an item, “Reconsider Action taken on November 24, 2014 regarding Compensation for the First Selectman.”

It still also includes an item to “Accept the resignation of Mary A. Glassman (D) as the First Selectman of the Board of Selectmen effective January 2, 2015.”
 

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