METHUEN — Mayor William Manzi's fight to fire police Chief Joseph Solomon has cost city taxpayers more than Solomon's yearly salary, according to public records.
Records show that the city has spent more than $135,000 for a combination of attorney's fees, unemployment and severance pay, and auditors to testify at Solomon's civil service hearing.
Solomon's salary was $132,685 after city councilors reduced it by $25,610 in September 2007, shortly before Manzi placed him on administrative leave. Manzi fired Solomon in May 2008 after a disciplinary hearing overseen by attorney Michael Marks.
Marks recommended Solomon be fired for verbally abusing police officers and allowing grant money to be misspent. He also said the Police Department broke the law when it used taxpayer money to buy marine equipment from Solomon's sister and brother-in-law.
Solomon appealed to the Civil Service Commission, which expects to issue a decision within 60 days.
"I certainly wish it didn't cost that much," Manzi said of the price to oust Solomon.
The mayor noted that the city has since removed the police and fire chiefs' jobs from civil service, making it easier for the mayor to get rid of them if he wants to. Civil service employees enjoy protection that non-civil service employees don't have. They can appeal to the Civil Service Commission if they feel they are wrongly disciplined or skipped over for a job or a promotion.
The cost of firing Solomon is one of the reasons why the chiefs' jobs were taken out of civil service, Manzi said.
It's still possible that the price tag for firing Solomon could grow beyond the $135,000 figure.
"Of course, if Joe prevails in his appeal, which we're hopeful he will, the city might be on the hook for the back pay," said Solomon's lawyer, Andrew Gambaccini.
The cost of firing Joseph Solomon
$80,168 for Attorney David Grunebaum to represent the city
$8,656 for hearing officer Michael Marks to oversee Solomon's initial disciplinary hearing
$17,550 for Solomon's unemployment
$22,490 for contractual severance pay for Solomon
$7,000 for auditors to testify at Solomon's civil service hearing
Total: $135,864
Note: This does not include the cost of city employees who testified at the hearing. City officials said they couldn't calculate that.
Source: City Auditor Thomas Kelly
