Methuen's police chief sues city over cut in pay
Methuen's police chief, who has been criticized over the way his department has spent federal money, is suing the city over a recent decision by the City Council to slash his annual pay.
Police Chief Joseph E. Solomon and members of the City Council have been engaged in a long-running and politically charged feud.
That battle heated up this week, when Solomon requested a preliminary injunction against the city to stop the pay cut. A hearing has been scheduled on Tuesday at Essex Superior Court in Lawrence, and Methuen Solicitor Peter J. McQuillan, Auditor Thomas Kelly, and City Council chairman Steven Zanni have been ordered by the court to attend.
In his complaint, Solomon states that he never had the opportunity to defend himself after the council approved the pay cut.
The seeds of this dispute were planted about a year ago, when federal agents came to City Hall, demanding to know how the Police Department had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants. Later, the US Department of Justice determined that the Police Department, under Solomon's leadership, had misspent funds earmarked for community policing and told the city to pay that money back.
Since then, Solomon has been suspended by the mayor and has been chastised by the City Council. Morale has plummeted in the department. In an increasingly political climate, long-held alliances between the city's top police officials and power brokers have been redefined and, in some cases, destroyed.
On June 30, Solomon's three-year contract expired.
In a complaint filed last week at Essex Superior Court in Lawrence, Solomon's lawyer, Robert H. Minasian, said that when Solomon signed the contract with Sharon M. Pollard, who was mayor at the time, he was told that "all the terms and conditions of the contract" would remain in effect until a new contract was negotiated.
But that did not happen.
In August, McQuillan informed the council that without a contract, Solomon's pay should be set at $100,824 for 2008, twice the pay of the highest-paid patrolman. McQuillan also reported that the chief should not receive certain employment benefits that gave a big boost to his paycheck, such as longevity pay, vacation pay, and career incentives.
A few weeks ago, the City Council told the city auditor to make Solomon's pay reflect those decisions. City payroll records show that the chief earned, with salary and benefits, $176,251 in 2005 and $154,866 in 2006.
The City Council also told the auditor to cut Deputy Chief Joseph Alaimo's pay as well, because his contract had also expired. Alaimo is not listed in the lawsuit Solomon has filed against the city.
Methuen Mayor William Manzi could not be reached for comment, and several city councilors declined to comment.
McConville can be reached at cmcconville@globe.com. 