Deputies Compose Half of Top Paid County Workers

-- Jail Guard Makes Over $77,000

By Kenneth C. Rossignol

ST. MARY’S TODAY

LEONARDTOWN --- Half of the 32 top paid county employees are members of the Sheriff’s Department, according to the St. Mary’s official records.

Last spring, ST. MARY’S TODAY requested the St. Mary’s public schools to reveal how many of their employees make more than $73,000 a year, a figure that was arbitrarily selected and the same salary figure was requested from the county for it’s employees.

A recent request for public information from the county government found that St. Mary’s Sheriff David Zylak and 15 of his employees make up half of the total number of top paid personnel with one of his jail guards, Louis Mileto, making $77,742 in the most recent fiscal year.

The Sheriff, who proposed a raise for him to $99,500, but withdrew the request from the county’s legislative package, made $80,674. Sheriff Zylak’s salary for the fiscal year included six months that he was a sergeant on the department, as his Sheriff’s salary is $68,000. Elected officials traditionally have reviews of their salaries conducted by a panel appointed by the commissioners and the legislators at the last session before the end of the term of office with increases applicable only to the next person elected to that position.

Two of the top positions in the department, at least as far as pay is concerned, are filled by Lt. Mike Merican, who has likely shot more dogs in his career than any other officer and Lt. Steve Doolan, who is at the center of the police property theft scandal. Both men have been relegated to sitting in the glass booth at the headquarters answering phones. They ran the agency under Sheriff Richard Voorhaar, with Doolan serving as Assistant Sheriff and Merican cavorting around county parks with a female staffer, in his role as the commander of the jail. Both were paid $82,000 in the last fiscal year.

Lt. Lyle Long is the highest paid member of the department, at $86,244, including overtime, making more than Capt. Kenny Cusic, who until a year ago was a sergeant until he was picked by the Sheriff to be the new captain, a politically appointed position not based on merit.

The boss of the jail, Lt. Tim Cameron, made just a little more money than Correctional Officer Mileto, with $83,971.

Lt. John Horne made $82,580; Sgt. Gerald Johnson was paid $80,856; Sgt. Daniel Alioto made $75,615; Cpl. Michael Gardiner was paid $75,242; Cpl. Deborah Milam was paid $74,756; Sgt. John Rhodes was paid $74,873; Cpl. Oliver Stewart was paid $74,756; Sgt. Rick Burris was paid $74,436; and Cpl. Phil Joseph was paid $73,651; Cpl. Jeffrey McLane was paid $81,393.

The biggest pay for the period didn’t go to the County Administrator George Forrest, who made $106,281, which included six months at his old salary for his old job of deputy administrator. The top banana for the fiscal year was Elaine Kramer, the Finance Director, who was paid $117,450.

Forrest has since been given a raise when he was made acting administrator, and given another raise when he was promoted to the full job of administrator, settling in at $125,000. The commissioners decided not to fill the post of deputy and have not filled several other positions, such as director of permits after Robin Guyther quit and the capital project manager’s contract was not renewed. Thus the commissioners are able to be saving nearly $500,000 in salaries by reorganizing the county government and eliminating many of the high dollar jobs created by the prior board.

States Attorney Richard Fritz (R.) is paid $98,128; Deputy States Attorneys Michael Stamm and Teddy Weiner (both of who serve at the pleasure of the states attorney and are not selected due to merit, Weiner is a former county attorney and former assistant county attorney, with almost continuous status as a county employee for the past 20 years) were paid $77,072, less than the jail guard.

Mark Stancliff, the network manager, was paid $75,083; John Groeger, deputy director of public works was paid $75,920; George Jarboe, manager of the county bus system and other transportation duties, and is brother-in-law of Commissioner Dan Raley (D. Great Mills), who had his county job long before Raley was elected in 1998, was paid $74,604.

Robert Kelly, director of Information Technology, who apparently is the first person in that post to be able to perform the job properly and has straightened out a lot of problems in the county’s computer and technology systems, was paid $87,000, ten thousand dollars more than one of Sheriff Zylak’s jail guards.

County Attorney John Norris was paid $87,144; Economic Development Director John Savich, who was brought in to replace EDC Director Martin Fairclough after Fairclough was dumped by former Administrator Al Lacer, amid charges that Lacer made offensive religious remarks, is paid $89,450. But the county may yet have to pay out as much as $150,000 to Fairclough due to the pending lawsuit for wrongful discharge, thus this pending liability reduces the good the board has accomplished with its reorganization.

Bubbling to the top of the pay pool are Public Works Director George Erichsen, perhaps the most able county staff director, with pay of $93,938 and one of the most machiavellian directors, Parks Director Phil Rollins at $90,849. Organizer of the old folks to show up to lobby the board at the drop of a hat, Commission on Aging Director Gene Carter was paid $84,500.