We’re all for police officers earning good pay. They do important, necessary and frequently dangerous work. But, good grief, when the top public-paid employee in all of Western New York is a police officer, something is out of whack.
Mark A. Cellini has been a police officer in Lackawanna for more than 25 years and, according to the Empire Center for Public Policy, he earned a staggering $233,929 in the year that ended March 31.
The combined average wage of police officers and firefighters was $89,357, which is not a bad salary and probably not out of line, given the risks and stresses. But $234,000? That’s a third more than Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, whose salary is $179,000.
In Cellini’s case, there were asterisks: He retired that year, taking with him not just the usual overtime pay, but compensation for unused sick and vacation time. Contractually, he earned it.
Still, ask a construction worker if he gets that kind of career-ending send-off.
© 2014 The Buffalo News
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