A Look at Another City Manager

We tend to give City Manager Jay Ash a great deal of credit for the excellent job he’s done.

He’s been doing his thing here for nearly a decade – and quite frankly – in its modern history, the city has never been better off.

There is cash in the city treasury – millions. The city’s bond rating is up there to almost perfect. There is an abundance of development going on.

Even in the down economy, Chelsea has done well.

Now comes a look at one of Ash’s colleagues, Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy.

He’s been the Cambridge city manager for 30 years.

Among his peers in government, he is considered the king of all city managers, the very best there is.

Among other city managers wishing to move on to another city, his is the one job desired by all.

Why?

For starts, Mr. Healy earns $338,000 a year in salary.

“And I deserve every penny of it,” he likes to say.

Cambridge is one of the best run, highest rated, lowest taxed city of its kind in the United States.

Efficiency in Cambridge is achieved like no other city.

Even its public schools are funded in an extraordinary fashion and remain a reason so many people are proud to call Cambridge their home.

Cambridge has a huge and growing commercial tax base. Nearly all of the advances made in Cambridge during the past 30 years have Healy’s mark all over them.

Cambridge has a AAA bond rating, tons of money in the bank and it remains a city which is easily the hippest in the United States.

There is no more politically correct city than Cambridge, Massachusetts USA.

More on Healy.

When he goes out on pension, he will receive $280,000 a year for the rest of his life.

If he dies before his wife, she gets the pension for the remainder of her life.

He has a special policy that pays him $400,000 if he has to go into a nursing home.

In addition, he has accumulated approximately $400,000 in unused sick days.

In all, his pension is said to be worth between $4-$5 million in all for his 30 years with the city.

Hopefully, Jay Ash won’t read this piece as it might give him the wrong idea about what he ought to be paid for what he is doing and what his services are really worth.

As for Mr. Healy, well, Cambridge is well served, so too is Chelsea.

We have the advantage of paying a lot less for being so well served.