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Sharon clerk seeks $120,000 salary; finance committee requests more data before acting
Summary
Town Clerk Mark Hogan requested raising the elected Town Clerk salary to $120,000, citing market comparisons and certifications; the Finance Committee deferred action and asked for HR survey results and broader comparisons including benefits and elected-vs-appointed differences.
Mark Hogan, Sharon’s Town Clerk, asked the Finance Committee on Feb. 23 to increase the Town Clerk salary to $120,000, saying his market review shows Sharon near the low end among comparable communities and that the role now includes expanded election administration duties.
Hogan summarized his comparison work and said he is seeking compensation “to align with market conditions and his experience/certifications,” noting one nearby town posted a clerk salary just under $125,000. Hogan said his analysis reflects roughly 12 years of prior government experience and that he currently receives a $1,000 certification stipend and a small monthly registrar stipend.
Committee members pressed for more context. Chair Ira Miller and others asked about differences in duties across towns and whether the HR Board had reviewed the request. Town Administrator Fred Turkington said the HR Board conducts a salary survey for appointed department heads every three years but did not include the elected Town Clerk; he said the HR Board would review a current survey shortly and present results to the Finance Committee on March 9. Turkington suggested a possible compensation approach of a base salary for the elected office plus certification stipends to better align pay with qualifications while limiting the risk of setting a high base that would apply to future officeholders.
Vice Chair Anja Bernier called the requested jump from approximately $93,000 to $120,000 “a large one-year percentage change” and said she preferred seeing the HR survey and a fuller comparison that includes benefits. Donald Brichta noted that elected-office salaries apply to whoever holds the office and cautioned against establishing a precedent without further deliberation.
Resident commenter Ms. Crosby urged the committee to consider appropriate salary for the position rather than framing the discussion solely around retaining an incumbent; she cited Hogan’s data indicating a median around $101,000.
The committee did not vote on the salary request. Members asked staff to provide additional comparisons that include benefits and the HR Board’s findings before the committee takes further action.
