Triple Pension for Former Providence Councilman
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
A former Providence councilman who later went on to become a full-time city employee has retired with a triple-pension deal.
Thomas Glavin—a 20-year veteran of the council and most recently, the Chief of Staff for the council—has racked up the following three pensions.
■ The elected official pension for about 20 years on the council, worth $7,466 a year, according to City Hall.
■ A second pension through the Laborers’ International Union of North America, which he received as an additional benefit for being on the council. The benefit is no longer available to council members.
■ A regular city pension, calculated on the basis of 35 years of service—which includes his time on the council.
Glavin became eligible for all three pensions by serving on the council from fall of 1976 to the beginning of 1997. But he boosted one of them—the regular city pension—by piling on 15 more years as an employee. As a result, Glavin wound up with nearly 35 years in the city pension system.
Previously, GoLocalProv has reported that two other former councilmen were able to use their time on the council to receive higher pension benefits. In their case, they were able to do this by taking positions on city boards that offered pension benefits.
‘Time for Providence to address … pension reform’
A leader of a local citizen group said Glavin’s triple pension benefit highlights the need for the city to reform its pension system.
“Clearly, it is time for Providence to address municipal pension reform. Providence taxpayers need to speak up and express their concerns and desires to their elected representatives,” said Karina Wood, the interim executive director of BetterProvidence, which advocates for public engagement with city government. “BetterProvidence is committed to increasing information to the public and convening constructive public-government dialogue on pension reform.”
Union refuses to turn over records
Normally a retirement benefit is based on the value of the final years of employment. At the time of his departure, Glavin had a current salary of $95,801, according to city pay records. Last year, he earned $91,973—far higher than the salary for council members, which currently is $18,765.
Retirees typically receive a monthly pension check from the city. But they can choose different options for how their benefit is paid. For example, they can cash out all their contributions—plus interest—in one lump sum and receive a lower monthly benefit. Because Glavin has yet to choose which option he wants, the city was unable to confirm exactly how much he would be earning in retirement.
The city also did not have records of how much he could earn through his union pension because it is administered by the union. The Laborers’ International Union has refused to turn over those records.
Not ‘wrong or inappropriate’
The issue of three pensions is moot, according to Councilman Luis Aponte, because the city has since barred newer members of the council from receiving a union pension. As for Glavin, he said the three pensions are allowed by the city retirement rules. “I don’t think it was anything wrong or inappropriate,” Aponte said. “He followed the rules and received the benefit he was entitled to.”
But a spokesman for Providence Mayor Angel Taveras said further reform of the rules is on the way.
“Providence’s pension system is unsustainable and in need of comprehensive reform,” said spokesman David Ortiz. “Mayor Taveras will do whatever is needed to create long-term financial stability for the city. We are at the beginning of the pension reform process, not the end. All options are on the table.”
Council President Michael Solomon was unavailable for comment yesterday and efforts to reach Glavin, who has since departed City Hall and was out of town, were unsuccessful.
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