Cromwell Council seats DeProto, creates HR director post with $109,000 salary ceiling
Town Council · Meeting of January 14, 2026
Cromwell Town Council unanimously appointed Jamin DeProto to fill a vacant council seat and voted to establish a director of human resources at pay scale E4, with a salary range of $77,000 to $109,000. DeProto, endorsed by the Republican Town Committee, cited prior service as Conservation Commission chair, Board of Finance member, and Harvard Medical School instructor before introducing himself to the dais, where he sat but could not vote pending a formal swearing-in. The HR director position was created under the new town charter approved by voters in November 2025; council member Al Waters warned the salary ceiling might not attract top candidates, noting nearby Berlin pays $125,000 for a comparable role, but the motion carried with one dissenting vote.
The council also accepted the resignation of council member Julia R. Gemma, approved a $14,700 federal bulletproof vest grant for the police department, and unanimously revised a November motion on outgoing Police Chief's sick-time payout to specify the 25 percent benefit was conditioned on his perfect attendance record. Mayor James Demetriades reported that the Connecticut Office of the Arts has asked Cromwell to split its proposed four-mile Main Street cultural district into two sub-districts, a recommendation the Cultural District Commission plans to contest at its January 20 meeting.
In the full story:
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Source: the Town Council meeting of January 14, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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