The embattled rector of Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan saw his pay cut — barely — as controversy swirled over his leadership.
The Rev. James Cooper’s salary dropped to $339,469 in 2012 down from $352,663 a year earlier when he also got a $25,000 bonus, according to new tax filings.
Cooper’s 2012 total compensation reached $1.2 million with benefits factored in. Those perks included his residence in a church-owned Soho town house, now valued by the city at $8.2 million, and a $118,675 housing allowance for his Florida condo.
Cooper came under fire from members of Trinity’s governing board angry that not enough of the wealthy church’s resources were going to philanthropy and that Cooper was too focused on grandiose development projects. By March 2012, almost half of the board had been forced out or quit.
Cooper had contemplated resigning in the midst of the controversy, but only if Trinity could meet his demands, which included burial in the historic church graveyard where Alexander Hamilton was laid to rest.
A Trinity spokesman declined to comment on salaries for Cooper or Lupfer.