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Allegheny County employee salaries, 2008-2010
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In 2011, Sunshine Review conducted a project examining public employee salaries in certain localities and other government entities across the U.S. This article contains the results of that project with public employee salary information from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, from 2008 to 2010 for employees earning over $150,000. The information was gathered from county data after Sunshine Review filed a public records request.[1][2]
Salaries and benefits
Salaries
2010
| Allegheny County employee salaries, 2010[1] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Individual | Salary | ||||
| County chief medical examiner | Karl Williams | $180,250.20 | ||||
| County district attorney | Stephen Zappala | $156,565.96 | ||||
| Human resources director | Marc Cherna | $155,124.06 | ||||
| Police inspector | Chistopher Kearns | $151,986.97 | ||||
| County economic director | Dennis Davin | $149,999.20 | ||||
2009
| Allegheny County employee salaries, 2009[1] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Individual | Salary | ||||
| County chief medical examiner | Karl Williams | $180,250.20 | ||||
| County district attorney | Stephen Zappala | $156,565.96 | ||||
| Human resources director | Marc Cherna | $155,149.05 | ||||
| County economic director | Dennis Davin | $150,149.20 | ||||
2008
| Allegheny County employee salaries, 2008[1] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Individual | Salary | ||||
| County chief medical examiner | Karl Williams | $180,249.68 | ||||
| County district attorney | Stephen Zappala | $158,431.97 | ||||
Benefits
Allegheny County officials did not respond to a request for information regarding the cost of benefits packages provided to its employees.
Additional forms of compensation
Phone use
Allegheny County officials did not respond to the request for information regarding the cost of cellphones and other mobile devices issued to its employees.
Car use
Allegheny County officials did not respond to the request for information regarding the cost of automobiles issued to its employees.
About the salary records project
In 2011, Sunshine Review, a non-profit acquired by Ballotpedia in 2013, chose 152 local governments as the focus of a project on public employee salaries. The editors of Sunshine Review selected seven states determined to have relevant political contexts:
1. Florida
2. Illinois
3. Michigan
4. New Jersey
5. Pennsylvania
6. Texas
7. Wisconsin
Within these states, the editors of Sunshine Review focused on the most populous cities, counties, and school districts, as well as the emergency services entities within these governments. The purpose of this selection method was to compile information relevant to the largest number of voters.
Salary information was gathered through a combination of state Freedom of Information Act requests and existing online information. Existing information could come in two forms: independent online resources disclosing publicly-available information and government entities proactively disclosing information.
Background
This Sunshine Review project developed following the events in Bell, California, in 2010. In July 2010, The Los Angeles Times' Jeff Gottlieb and Ruben Vives reported on the salaries of certain city officials in Bell, writing "Top city officials in the small, relatively poor city of Bell might be the highest paid in the nation."[3]
The Times' reported that city manager, Robert Rizzo, received a salary of $787,637, later found to be roughly $1.5 million worth of compensation when including benefits, and compared the salary to those of city managers in other nearby cities:[4]
| “ | By comparison, Manhattan Beach, a far wealthier city with about 7,000 fewer people, paid its most recent city manager $257,484 a year. The city manager of Long Beach, with a population close to 500,000, earns $235,000 annually. Los Angeles County Chief Executive William T Fujioka makes $338,458.[3][5] | ” |
As a result of the report and subsequent investigations, Rizzo, assistant city manager Angela Spaccia, Mayor Oscar Hernandez, and four city council members either pleaded no contest or were found guilty of charges including the misappropriation of public funds.[6]
The situation in Bell also spurred conversations elsewhere in the country regarding the disclosure of public employee salaries. For example, the editorial board of The Daily News in Longview, Wash. wrote:
| “ | The still unfolding scandal in Bell speaks volumes about the value of government transparency and the need for strong disclosure laws to help citizens ensure that transparency. The fact is, Bell's council members and city officials could not have awarded themselves these salaries with impunity in the light of day. It could only be done in the shadows.[7][5] | ” |
Project goals
This project aimed to provide an accurate picture of public employee salaries for educational and transparency purposes. Publicly reported salaries may omit information or present data in as a range rather than a specific number. Additionally, reports may omit compensation received through health and retirement benefits, as well as benefits like commuter allowances and phone reimbursements.[4][8] The project sought these additional forms of compensation in addition to regular salary figures wherever available.
See also
- Pennsylvania local government salary: Counties
- Allegheny County Police Department salaries
- Public employee salary
External links
- Allegheny County Salaries, OpenPayrolls.com
- Allegheny County Salaries, Glassdoor.com
- Allegheny County website
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Allegheny Employee Salaries
- ↑ This article is one of approximately 150 on Ballotpedia about public employee salary information. These articles are among 37,000 created by the nonprofit Sunshine Review, which Ballotpedia acquired in July 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Los Angeles Times, "Bell city manager might be highest paid in nation: $787,637 a year," July 14, 2010
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Lost Angeles Times, "Benefits push Bell ex-manager’s compensation to more than $1.5 million," Aug. 8, 2010
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Los Angeles Times, "Pleas close a chapter in Bell corruption scandal," April 9, 2014
- ↑ The Daily News, "Bell, Calif. scandal shows the value of transparency," Oct. 6, 2010
- ↑ Orange County Register, "O.C. cities dash to post personnel salaries," Aug. 8, 2010
