01/23/10 Big Fat Paychecks: 120 Town Employees Get Over $17 Million Of Your Hard Earned Tax Dollars

What Recession?

Greenwich Is Very Very Good To It's Police Officers

Over $3.5 million of the $17 million of Greenwich's single family home owner's tax dollars were paid to just 26 Greenwich Police officers.

The top two earners:

#1 Lt. Mark Kordick

#2 Ex Captian Michael Pacewicz

Pacewicz who retired early in 2009 and given a monstrous one-time payout just to go away.

And this doesn't include the additional One Million that Greenwich Homeowners shelled out in the Pacewicz related lawsuits.

Who says crime doesn't pay.

Please Also See:

Ridberg to remain chief for 2 years
On the heels of a state Supreme Court decision that put to rest a lawsuit that halted police department promotions for years, the police chief announced Monday that he has signed on to lead the department for another two years.

The news comes just weeks before the department's No. 2 command official is set to officially retire under the conditions of a separation agreement worked out with the town last year, a copy of which was obtained by Greenwich Time....

....However, the agreements have also caused rumblings within the rank and file over the fairness of the closed-door deals....

....The agreement stipulates that Ridberg be paid an annual $36,000 stipend, issued monthly, on top of his $145,000 base salary through November 2011. The stipend puts Ridberg at the top end of the salary range for his position, which is capped at $186,000, according to town officials.....

.....The town also entered into an agreement with Capt. Michael Pacewicz, the department's second-in-command, in December 2008 stipulating that the department veteran would step down at the end of 2008, but remain on active payroll until Nov. 1, 2009, using accrued vacation and sick time in addition to 25 weeks of severance pay. Pacewicz was promoted to captain over Honulik in 2003, a move that led to the lawsuit.....

.....The newly obtained separation agreement also stipulates that Pacewicz will receive a lump sum of $17,800 in additional compensation for his years of service. Human resources officials said Pacewicz's final salary was $117,870. He also received a 10 percent bump in his pension, enabling him to reach the maximum pension percentage a police officer can receive. In exchange for the compensation, the agreement states Pacewicz cannot file a claim against the town regarding his employment or contract and must participate in the town's defense in all current and future lawsuits.....

...."I did not seek to leave the Greenwich Police Department," said Pacewicz. "They were the ones who started this process. I would speculate that they thought it was time to move forward."..... more »

Court rejects age claim in cop promotion case
.....
First Selectman Peter Tesei welcomed the decision and hoped it would put to rest a case that began when former police chief James Walters decided to bypass Honulik for a captain's position in favor of now retired Capt. Michael Pacewicz.

"I think this ordeal which began under the (Democratic First Selectman Richard) Bergstesser's administration has taken a toll on the police department," he said. "It has prevented them from having a chance to advance up the career ladder."... more »

Federal jury's task: Did Greenwich allow racism?
After hearing from 43 witnesses over the span of two weeks, a nine-person jury is now charged with deciding whether the town of Greenwich is responsible for permitting a custom of racial discrimination within its police department, as has been alleged by eight minority officers.

There are volumes of exhibits to examine, hours of testimony to rehash and passionate arguments to consider. Lawyers for the eight officers claim the jury should find fault in the town which they said allowed discriminatory customs to bar the senior officers from reaching their full potential...

.....Officers, however, testified that speaking up against superiors was not an easy thing to do.
"Every time someone of Hispanic descent or who is black speaks up, they are perceived as a troublemaker," plaintiff John Rodriguez said during his testimony.
The plaintiffs' testimony over the past two weeks often became emotional, and esome of the officers' wives were called to tell the jury how they watched their husbands' emotional situation deteriorate in the hostile environment they said created under former Chief James Walters between 2002 and 2006.

Detective Robert Brown became upset as he described how hard he worked to obtain a promotion while his father was still alive. He was denied until being promoted to detective in 2007, shortly after his father died.

"I really wanted him to be there," said Brown. "I was working hard and not getting anything. If you are a black cop, you are not going anywhere.".....

....The current police chief, David Ridberg, came to his predecessor's defense, saying Walters was the "least racial person" he knew.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the trial was jurors' questions, a rare protocol that U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kravtiz allows in his civil trials.

One asked retired Captain Michael Pacewicz why acts of discrimination were tolerated if the police manual says it is a violation. Pacewicz did not directly answer the question, but acknowledged that racially insensitive comments may have been said over the years....more »

Police contract challenged at discrimination trial
The wording of a police union contract came under scrutiny Thursday during the fourth day of a trial stemming from a federal racial discrimination. During testimony at the U.S. District Court, former Capt. Michael Pacewicz said that officers can file a grievance on anything independently with their own lawyer, regardless of whether the union is behind them or not.

"In our contract an individual can put forth a complaint on anything," said Pacewicz, who once served as union president.

"And the union cannot tell them no?" said attorney Robert Mitchell, who is representing the town.

"Correct," replied Pacewicz.

Pacewicz was called as a witness for the town out of order due to a scheduling conflict. The police captain stepped down from his post last year.

Pacewicz said he never discriminated against minority officers on account of race, and said the department has never tolerated racial bias.

Pacewicz, who is white, said he wrote certain officers up repeatedly, such as plaintiff Vincent O'Banner, who is black, because those officers failed to follow simple instructions....

.....Attorney Lewis Chimes, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs, had Pacewicz read portions of the union contract and a poster on the affirmative action policy in Greenwich to highlight the hurdles officers may have faced in filing claims of racial discrimination.
"Do the words discrimination appear anywhere in there?" said Chimes, pointing to the union contract.

"I don't believe they do," replied Pacewicz.

Chimes then read the town's sexual harassment policy, which explicitly defines the violation and lists a number of people to contact about a potential complaint.

"There is no similar policy maintained by the town of Greenwich between 2002 and 2005 on the basis of race," said Chimes, noting that officers are told to report to their supervisor to report a violation under the contract.

"It says to report to the supervisor," said Chimes. "In a race case, isn't that a bit of a problem?"
"It would be difficult," said Pacewicz. Chimes said racial discrimination complaints should remain confidential and there should be a clause protecting against retaliation from filing a grievance against a supervising officer.....

....Perhaps the most direct question came from one of the jurors, however, who asked why acts of discrimination were tolerated if the police manual says it is a violation. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kravitz posed the question to Pacewicz.

Pacewicz did not directly answer the question, but acknowledged that racially insensitive comments may have been said over the years....

.... John Rodriguez, a Latino plaintiff, also testified Thursday about the racial slurs made about Hispanics within the department.

"There was an officer that said how are Hispanics like cue balls," Rodriguez told the jury. "The harder you hit them the more English you get out of them." Rodriguez said hearing jokes like that took its toll on him.

"It was disheartening," said Rodriguez. "There were situations where it hit deep down in your soul." .....

.....The officers in the federal lawsuit include Vincent O'Banner, Terral Hardy, Scott Johnson, Carlos Franco, John Woodward and Anthony Cameron, as well as Detective Brown and Sgt. John Rodriguez.....more »

Lawyers challenge Greenwich cop's discrimination claim
Eight minority Greenwich police officers who filed a federal racial discrimination lawsuit against the town continued to tell their story during trial Wednesday in U.S. District Court....

....On day three of the trial, attorney Robert Richardson began laying the foundation for the claim that Sgt. John Rodriguez and Officers Terral Hardy, Scott Johnson, Carlos Franco and Anthony Cameron were unfairly overlooked for special assignments as a result of race.

Hardy, a black officer who has been with the department for 20 years, testified that he had been passed over for specialized assignments by younger, white officers numerous times and experienced racism within the halls of the department.

"I liked being a police officer, but I did not like being a police officer there," said Hardy, after his lawyers asked him about how the discrimination affected him emotionally. "It drags at your soul and drags you down."

In one alleged instance, Hardy said he was pulled over by a fellow officer while driving through Greenwich in plain clothes because he was black. When the officer noticed it was Hardy in the car, Hardy testified that the officer said, "Oh, it's just you," and walked away.....

....Members of the jury also posed a question to Wachowski through writing, which U.S. District Judge Mark Kravitz read, asking how officers are informed about openings to specialized units, which also includes SWAT and traffic assignments.

"They had been through word of mouth," said Wachowski. "It wasn't like a job posting. We didn't have that kind of setup."

The lawsuit contends that Walters had the final say in appointments and passed over senior minority officers for junior white officers 34 times during his term.....

.....The town also will call former police Captain Michael Pacewicz..... more »

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