Another Giant Raise for Human Resources Director Jeannie Horne
Amid layoffs, the director of human resources scores a $8,530 raise, making for a $42,337 salary increase since July 1, 2022.
July 9, 2025 (Duxbury) — Amid layoffs and the closure of Town Hall on Fridays, Duxbury’s director of human resources just received another big pay increase.
A public records request submitted by resident Maureen Sullivan shows that Town of Duxbury Human Resources Director Jeannie Horne received a $8,530 raise from fiscal year 2025 to fiscal year 2026.
The increase brings her total salary to $148,833, a 6% increase over the previous year.
Since June 1, 2022, Horne’s salary has increased $42,337, an increase of 40% in three years.
Previous stories have discussed how prior to this latest increase, Horne was already the highest paid human resource director on the South Shore. The department is also unusually large.
In addition to layoffs, Duxbury is also losing staff in other departments because pay is not comparable to similar towns. At recent Select Board meetings, the town has said that it wants to pay at the 60th percentile, but the town recently lost one key department head because he was being paid more than $10,000 a year less than what comparable professionals were being paid on the South Shore.
As soon as the response to Maureen Sullivan’s public records request was sent, it was marked private. As a result, the public was at first unable to see it.
Town residents rejected a $5.8 million override in March, resulting in the layoff of administrative staff in Town Hall, including part-time positions that could have been funded in part by Horne’s many salary increases.
Neither Horne nor Town Manager Rene Read could be reached for comment.
At least some members of the Select Board are aware of the raise, but no one had any comment.
It’s not clear if the Finance Committee knows about this matter.
The EXTREMELY POOR SALARY software capability for the Town of Duxbury is pathetic. The HR Director should be embarrassed and humiliated to not be able to provide any cost of the employees of Duxbury in REAL TIME. ANY TIME. Including Year to year, quarterly, weekly etc.
This includes base salary, overtime salary, special allowances, bonuses, housing allowances or car allowances, any other special payments by individual, by department, by anyway one necessary to run a business. The largest expense!!!!!!! This system can also calculate all benefits per individual at all times! These systems can also allow an HR Department to project and provide scenarios for planning purposes.
As she has been on staff as lead for HR for many years, this is a further statement of poor performance in not providing the Financial information required.
If the Director is not qualified to lead the institution with a first class Reporting system she should be terminated or demoted and a quality leader selected who can move HR reporting systems into the 21st Century. Likely the large staff is doing the work manually.
If the Financial Committee or Board of Selectmen are standing in the way of this being provided to the citizens of Duxbury, they should be terminated from their posts!!
From a former HR Executive, mj pierce
Whoever authorized the salary increase should have to explain the need and value.