Torrington City Council Approves Salary Increases to Mayor, City Clerk, and Treasurer

10/6/25
Present: Mayor Elinor Carbone; Councilors Drake Waldron, Stephan Ivain, Molly Spino, Anne Ruwet, and David Oliver. Councilor Paul Cavagnero was absent.

At the meeting, the Torrington City Council approved three resolutions that would increase the salaries for the mayor, the city clerk, and the treasurer. All of these increases would take effect on July 1, 2026, councilors said. Those salaries can be bumped in future years based on guidelines from the city’s management resolution contract, according to the resolutions voted on by the council.

The decision to increase the salary of the mayor came as the town prepared to elect a new chief executive for the first time since Mayor Carbone took office almost 12 years ago.

On a motion by Councilor Ruwet, seconded by Councilor Oliver, the council voted almost unanimously to increase the mayor’s annual salary from $103,000 to $125,000, effective July 1, 2026.

Councilor Spino, who at the time of the meeting was a candidate for mayor running under the Republican Party line, abstained.

Ruwet noted that the mayor’s position in Torrington is demanding. 

“The mayor, as most people know, isn't the same as in other municipalities,” Ruwet said. “It is a 24/7 position. There is no additional compensation for the mayor.”

For Oliver, the increased salary is a step in the right direction toward helping the city attract top talent. But even with the increase, Oliver added, it may not be enough to make the position attractive.

“If someone was running a $100 million corporation, they'd be making $3-$5 million a year minimum,” Oliver said. “And here we are a sliver of that.”

The council also voted unanimously to increase the city clerk’s annual salary from $65,000 to $80,000. Oliver made the first motion, which was then seconded by Ruwet.

Councilor Stephen Ivain, who at the time was running for mayor under the Democratic Party line,  said the raise for the clerk’s position is well-warranted. Spino also echoed Ivain’s comments. Ivain said “I'll just add that I think [City Clerk Carol Anderson] definitely deserves this,” Spino said. “ She puts a lot of work in.”

Another resolution approved by the council will increase the salary of the treasurer from  $15,697 to $20,000. It was brought on by a motion from Ruwet, seconded by Oliver, and approved via a vote of 4-1. Ivain voted against the measure, noting that Treasurer Daniel Farley has proven to be a valuable asset to the town’s finances and that he wanted to see an increase to the treasurer’s yearly salary to $40,000. 

“In order to attract someone to this position, at some point, we're going to really have to take a deeper dive into this,” Ivain said. “Because the compensation is not really reflective of what that position does.”

Ruwet said she supports the increase and believes the treasurer’s position deserves to be compensated beyond the almost $5,000 raise. Councilor Ruwet said that the resolution calls for future increases to the treasurer’s salary, beyond this initial bump, based on the city’s management resolution contract. 

“Certainly he deserves much more,” Ruwet said. “The worry is how we can afford to do that. So although I think it's a menial increase of $5,000 it was reasonable for us to do that.”