Stonington selectwomen give up most of their salaries
Stonington — The town's two selectwomen have decided to give up most of their 2021-22 salary to partially fund a new human services position they say is critically needed but could get cut by the Board of Finance.
Selectwomen June Strunk and Deborah Downie agreed at last week's Board of Selectmen's meeting that they would each give up $10,000 of their $14,295 annual salary. Their decision means they will now earn $82 a week for their work.
Their $20,000 would help fund a new $45,105-a-year community outreach specialist, who would assist residents with a range of issues such as mental health problems, domestic violence and bullying, all of which they said have grown worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I'm touched. You guys are truly public servants," First Selectwoman Danielle Chesebrough told them at last week's meeting.
Strunk, who proposed the reallocation, said the position is one that is "critical for the health of our community."
Downie agreed.
"I feel it's something the town needs, and this is a creative way to do that," she said.
Strunk, the former chairperson of the Board of Finance, said she knows some finance board members are always looking to cut staff. But she praised town employees for their work and said the new position is badly needed. By reallocating the money before the finance board begins its deliberations on the budget, they hope to preserve the position.
Strunk likened the new position to one the police department used to have that assisted families with domestic violence. The position ended when the grant funding for it was expended. She said reviews of that position were very positive.
Strunk, who volunteers with Safe Futures, said the New London-based organization has seen a 35% increase in domestic violence during the pandemic. The agency assists women and children who are fleeing domestic violence.
Selectmen, not the first selectman, once earned about $4,000 annually. But those salaries were boosted under former First Selectman Rob Simmons, who began giving up his raise each year and instead used it to boost the salaries of the selectmen.
Strunk said she and Downie would now earn what the town treasurer does.
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