Overtime and details drive police to top of Waltham pay rankings
Police officers continue to dominate the list of highest-paid municipal employees across many Massachusetts cities, including Waltham, with overtime and paid detail assignments significantly increasing total earnings beyond base salaries.
According to the city’s 2025 payroll records, seven of Waltham’s top 10 earners were members of the Police Department. Police Chief Kevin O’Connell led the list at $279,935, followed closely by Lt. Michael Moriarty at $273,417.
Deputy Chief Fire Prevention Richard Grant and Fire Chief Andrew Mullin also ranked among the city’s top earners.
Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa was the highest-paid non-public safety employee at $256,308. Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy’s 2025 salary was $174,892, which put her at No. 58.
The top 10 earners in total gross pay for 2025 among Waltham city employees:
- Police Chief Kevin O’Connell — $279,935
- Police Lt. Michael Moriarty — $273,417
- Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa — $256,308
- Deputy Chief Fire Prevention Richard Grant — $249,739
- Police Officer Daniel MacDougall — $248,583
- Police Officer Gerard Corbett — $247,262
- Police Officer Jorge Orta — $242,995
- Police Captain Anthony Vazquez — $242,106
- Police Lieutenant Michael Piantedosi —$235,418
- Fire Chief Andrew Mullin — $234,937
A similar trend appeared in Newton, where seven Police Department employees earned more than $300,000 during 2025. The only nonpolice employee in Newton’s top 10 was the public school’s superintendent, who earned $307,536.
In Lowell, a city of more than 120,000 residents, police captains and lieutenants occupied many of the highest-paid positions as well. Police Captain Daniel T. Desmarais led the city payroll at $308,101, while several other police officials also exceeded $260,000 in total pay.
You can search Waltham’s city employee database via MassLive here, which highlights payroll data.
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This is crazy. Why are they paid so much i literally see them half of these officers standing around directing traffic. Bring back flaggers to direct traffic for construction projects happening on the street. Thanks for being brave and writing about this im sure it didnt give you any favors with the waltham PD
Interesting that the deputy fire chief makes more than the fire chief? Do the non-leadership police officers just have many years on the force? What is the starting salary for new police officers or firefighters? Thx for comparisons to other towns for context.
This is a very eye-opening breakdown of the city’s payroll. While it’s great to see our public safety officers being compensated well for their hard work and long hours, it does make me wonder about the long-term sustainability of the budget. Are there any discussions within the city council about hiring more officers to reduce the reliance on overtime, or is the current system considered more cost-effective?
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