No Raises Again This Year For Hamden's Fire, Police Leaders

For the second year in a row, the four leaders of the town's police and fire departments will not be getting a raise, making them question if it is related to their job performance.

Originally, Hamden Mayor Scott Jackson proposed giving his fire chief and police chief $1,000 raises and $2,192 in raises for the deputy fire and police chiefs, who are both non-union employees, according to the New Haven Register. However, Hamden's Legislative Council later voted to eliminate those raises, despite that unionized police officers are getting raises, according to the Register.

“It’s not fair to them,” Jackson told the Register. “Be that as it may, given this extremely difficult budget, given the tremendous pressures on the town finances as we seek to resolve once and for all our pension difficulties, this was not the right time.”

Hamden Police Chief Thomas Wydra, who makes $105,000 a year, questioned if he was not given a raise because of his job performance, according to the New Haven Register.

“It has caused me to contemplate whether or not my performance as the chief of police over the last seven years is meeting expectations,” Wydra told the New Haven Register. “While the situation is disheartening and somewhat demoralizing, I fully recognize the strain that municipal budgets place on taxpayers."

Hamden Fire Chief David Berardesca agreed.

“I understand the issues facing the town, definitely with health benefits and pension obligations. I understand and sympathize with the issues that we’re facing, but I, too, as the police chief stated — we wonder if our job performance is what is expected,” Berardesca told the New Haven Register.

Do you think Hamden's fire and police chiefs deserve a raise?