Quincy News: Raises pending for Methuen police threaten to put city in financial jeopardy

Police Chief Solomon looking to mine gold?
A Lisa Kashinsky/Eagle-Tribune photo
– News about elsewhere covered by Quincy Quarry News with commentary added.

Raises pending for Methuen police threaten to put city in financial jeopardy.

Per the Boston broadsheet’s follow up to earlier coverage in another paper, the near tripling of the salaries of the five captains the most highest-paid police officers in the state at roughly $435,00o.00 a year, a salary that would far exceed Governor Charlie Baker’s annual pay as well as be almost twice that of Boston’s police chief.

Shower down!
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Further, Methuen police lieutenants are also looking to be paid more money than Boston’s police chief.

Further yet, ponder the possible friction arising from how Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon is looking to be making roughly $65,000 LESS than his captains.

In any event, if the new contract with Methuen police officers is honored, not only is City of Methuen looking at a serious “unexpected” extra seven figure hit to its Fiscal Year 2019 budget at a time when it is already considering major cuts in other areas as well as now facing a possible torquing of its future pension obligations to local police officers, the new contract will factor into comparable pay calculations for police salary contract negotiations statewide.

In any event, Quincy Quarry did not reach out to Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch for comment as regards how Methuen’s situation may impact how Quincy police patrol officers do not have a current contract or what he may now do for his brother-in-law Quincy Police Chief Paul “The Beav” Keenan.