The 20 highest-paid people in Mecklenburg County government
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This is the second in a series highlighting top earners in local government. See the City of Charlotte salaries and an explanation for why we’re writing these here.
I’m including the comparable position in Wake County as well. Both have a roughly equivalent population, around 1 million. Meck is a little bit different though because there’s so much city-county consolidation here.
You can find a great breakdown of county government salaries statewide from the UNC School of Government here.
1) Dena Diorio, county manager
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Salary: $286,000
Counterpart in Wake: Jim Hartmann, $220,000
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2) Marcus Plescia, health director
Salary: $222,785
Counterpart in Wake: No direct comparison
3) Stephen R. Keener, medical director
Salary: $216,700
Counterpart in Wake: Kimberly McDonald, salary not published
4) Thomas D. Owens, chief medical examiner
Salary: $209,869
Counterpart in Wake: No direct comparison. State chief medical examiner Deborah Radisch makes $222,582.
5) Chris Peek, deputy county manager
Salary: $196,156.95
Counterpart in Wake: Johnna Rogers/David Ellis, $173,028
6) Leslie Johnson, assistant county manager
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Salary: $195,218.4
Counterpart in Wake: Johnna Rogers/David Ellis, $173,028
7) Lee Keesler, library CEO
Salary: $194,625
Counterpart in Wake: Michael Wasilick, $112,299
8-tie) Dawn Lajoie, medical examiner
Salary: $190,000
Counterpart in Wake: No direct comparison. State deputy chief medical examiner Michelle Aurelius makes $216,000.
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8-tie) Jonathan Privette, medical examiner
Salary: $190,000
Counterpart in Wake: No direct comparison. State deputy chief medical examiner Michelle Aurelius makes $216,000.
10) Mark Foster, assistant county manager
Salary: $177,000
Counterpart in Wake: Johnna Rogers/David Ellis, $173,028
11) Lena White, physician
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Salary: $176,887.50
12) Jim Garges, parks and recreation director
Salary: 169,359.63
Counterpart in Wake: Christopher Snow, $91,661
13) Tyrone Wade, deputy county attorney
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Salary: $167,809.48
Counterpart in Wake: Scott Warren, $180,405
14) Keith Gregg, chief information officer
Salary: $166,000
Counterpart in Wake: Bill Greeves, $156,832
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15) Wanda Reeves, finance director
Salary: $165,082.50
Counterpart in Wake: $131,322
16) Ebenezer Gujjarlapudi, land use and environmental services agency director
Salary: $164,285
17) Peggy Eagan, Department of Social Services director
Salary: $163,582.5
Counterpart in Wake: $112,299
18) David Singleton, director of libraries
Salary: $163,487.5
19) Ken Joyner, tax assessor
Salary: $161,962.50
Counterpart in Wake: $138,173
20) Mark Hahn, real estate director
Salary: $156,465.95
(Photo credits: Charlotte-Mecklenburg government website, LinkedIn, ESGR, Smart Start of Mecklenburg)