Buyouts Proposed for 2 High-Paid Officials

The Inglewood City Council is planning to offer the city attorney and the assistant city manager early retirement packages in hopes of saving the city about $500,000 a year and reducing the number of salaried senior employees.

The council is discussing a proposal to offer City Atty. Howard Rosten a package that would give him four years of credit to his pension. The deal would cost the city about $165,000 and save $250,000 annually that Rosten, a 26-year employee, receives in salary and benefits.

The council also plans to offer Assistant City Manager Norm Cravens, 58, a package that would save the city $202,000 per year in salary and benefits. City officials want to eliminate the assistant city manager position.

Cravens, who has worked for the city for 16 years, said he would accept such an offer. Rosten, 54, said he is receptive to an early retirement deal, but added that the current proposal is not enough of an incentive for him to leave his job.

Should Cravens and Rosten agree to buyouts, the city would be relieved of paying two of its highest-paid employees. City Manager Paul Eckles, who collected a $207,000 annual salary, retired last month, prompting city officials to reconfigure the city government. The City Council plans to replace the city manager position with a city administrator post which would command a much lower salary.

City officials plan to take up the retirement incentive issue June 10.