The contract was approved 2-1 with Board of Selectmen Chairman Enrico Villamaino voting against it and members Paul Federici and James Driscoll voting in favor of it.
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Thomas A. CalientoEAST LONGMEADOW-Selectmen recently approved a three-year contract totaling $77,207 for town accountant Thomas A. Caliento.
The contract was approved 2-1 with Board of Selectmen Chairman Enrico Villamaino voting against it and members Paul Federici and James Driscoll voting in favor of it.
The contract which is retroactive through July of 2011 includes an annual salary of $72,207 with an additional $5,000 increase through 2014 once Caliento becomes a certified government accountant. With the $5,000 increase Caliento's salary will total $77,207. Currently he makes $66,953 annually.
"When we initially hired him the certification was a suggestion, but if we are going to compensate him at a competitive rate then the certification will be necessary before 2014," Federici said.
Villamaino said it is not fiscally responsible to give a department head such a large increase.
"He is going from $67,000 to $77,000, that's a $10,000 increase, and I just can't justify that in the current economic climate," he said. "I don't think we should pay an employee based on what other towns pay them. We have to do what's best for East Longmeadow."
Caliento was officially hired in 2008, however he served as interim accountant for the town in 2007. Before working for the town Caliento had experience as a commercial loan officer, a regional school business manager, a senior financial analyst, and a deputy city auditor in Springfield. He also served as the interim school business manager in Longmeadow. He has a master's degree in business administration from Western New England College.
"In the past few years our audits have been good, our bond rating is great," Federici said. "He was selected before I was on the board, but I know he came on during a tough time and has managed to get us back on track."
