Essex County council releases 2022 remuneration report

By Ron Giofu

The County of Essex has released its remuneration report for 2022.

Both current and former members of county council totals are included, though last term’s council members had their earnings stopped when the term ended in November. Those who continued on were paid for the full year while newcomers – who joined county council officially in December - also made the list. There are eight new members of county council this term.

Remuneration counts the county council member’s salary, per diem, conference expenditures, mileage and other associated expenditures.

Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara, last term’s warden, had a total remuneration amount of $113,360.60. Leamington Mayor and current warden Hilda MacDonald saw her total remuneration figure be reported at $20,600.99.

Tecumseh Deputy Mayor and current deputy warden Joe Bachetti’s total remuneration was $19,884.14 while Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey, who spent the bulk of last year as the town’s deputy mayor before winning the mayor’s chair, earned $17,770.54.

Former Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain’s remuneration was $17,507.07 while former Kingsville Deputy Mayor Gord Queen’s was $17,360.76. Former Essex deputy mayor and mayor Richard Meloche had a total of $16,010.33. Leamington Deputy Mayor Larry Verbeke’s remuneration was $14,624.34.

Former Amherstburg Mayor Aldo DiCarlo’s total remuneration from the county was $14,396.27, while former deputy warden and Kingsville Mayor Nelson

Santos’ total was $13,702.62. Former LaSalle Mayor Marc Bondy’s remuneration total was $13,617.73 while current LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche – her town’s deputy mayor last term – was $12,873.34.

Steve Bjorkman, the former deputy mayor of Essex, earned $12,782.84 while former Amherstburg Deputy Mayor Leo Meloche’s total remuneration was $11,561.87. Kingsville Councillor Tony Gaffan, an alternate member of county council, had a 2022 total of $3,612.28.

Current Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue, who also served as an alternate when he was a councillor last term, had a remuneration total of $2,418.45 while former Essex Mayor Larry Snively’s remuneration total was $2,300.14 last year. LaSalle Councillor Mark Carrick, also a county council alternate member, had a 2022 total of $1,770.15.

Sherry Bondy, the current mayor of Essex, had her total remuneration reported as $1,425.63. Current Amherstburg Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb’s total was $1,171.25. Essex Councillor Morley Bowman, also an alternate, had a total of $1,165.46 while current LaSalle Deputy Mayor Michael Akpata’s total was $1,164.65.

Current Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers’ 2022 remuneration was $1,140.99 while Kingsville Deputy Mayor Kim DeYong’s total was $1,132.21. Lakeshore Deputy Mayor Kirk Walstedt’s remuneration was $1,132.21 while Essex Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley’s total was $1,104.63.

In all, county councillor remuneration was $335,591.49. Essex County’s schedule of other remuneration totalled $12,554.07. That included other payments and others who had earnings or expenses paid by the county. Those included Deborah Alexander ($1,003.99), Terry Burns ($1,074.75), the City of Windsor ($1,755), Richard Colenutt ($120), Andrew Dowie ($659.16), Christine Easterbrook

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