Massachusetts conservatives are calling for greater fiscal transparency from quasi-state agencies after learning Massport’s aviation director earned more than $500,000 in 2024, a figure the authority’s CEO says he would raise if he could.

Ed Freni, who manages “all aspects of aviation” for Massport, raked in $578,720 in total pay last year through the end of November, coming in as the highest earner out of the quasi-state agencies that have reported payrolls to the state Comptroller’s Office.

While Massport is finishing its 2024 payroll, including December, Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr called Freni’s earnings a “significant figure” that should prompt concerns “about those we don’t know about.”

A Comptroller spokesman told the Herald there is “no comprehensive list or statutory definition of which organizations qualify as quasi-governmental organizations.”

Just a dozen of Massachusetts’ quasi-state agencies have reported 2024 payrolls to the state comptroller’s website, making it difficult to know exactly how many such organizations there are in the Bay State and how they’re paying their employees.

A report that the MASSPIRG Education Fund conducted in 2010 found that there were 42 quasi-public agencies, operating on a state or regional level, ranging in size from only six employees to more than 6,000.

Tarr, a Gloucester Republican, has advocated at the State House for all quasi-state agencies to make their payroll available online.

The state Senate unanimously adopted Tarr’s amendment last spring for quasi-public independent entities to submit compensation information to the Comptroller’s Office to be posted on its website. It was not included in this fiscal year’s final budget, a spokesperson for the senator told the Herald.

Tarr described quasi-public agencies as government-supported corporations that have “certain budgetary, governing and policy-making independence from the executive and legislative branches.”

“Quasi-public shouldn’t mean quasi-transparent when it comes to compensation information for these agencies,” Tarr said in a statement to the Herald on Wednesday. “They should disclose that information for their employees just as other state agencies, including some that are quasi-public, do for those on their payroll.”

Massport, which has 1,310 full-time employees, produced eight of the 10 highest earners among the quasi-state agencies that have reported their pay to the Comptroller’s Office, according to a Herald review of payroll records. The Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority recorded the other two spots in the top 10.

A Massport spokesperson told the Herald that the quasi-state agency “does not receive taxpayer funding except for specific infrastructure grants” while overseeing Boston Logan International Airport, Worcester Regional Airport, Hanscom Field, and the Port of Boston.

The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency had submitted a payroll of $37.55 million, the second highest in the state, behind Massport’s $151.97 million, according to figures available on the Comptroller’s website on Wednesday.

“Massachusetts taxpayers continue to endure higher taxes and higher state spending,”  said Paul Diego Craney, spokesman for state watchdog Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “Those at the government trough are getting fat on big salaries. Quasi-public and private schemes … are getting rich off the taxpayer’s generosity.”

Freni raked in more than $215,000 over the second-highest Massport earner who worked full-time last year, John Pranckevicius, an administration director who earned $363,502, according to the agency’s payroll submitted Nov. 29.

Rich Davey, who took over Massport leadership as its CEO in August, has a starting salary of $420,000.

Freni served as Massport’s acting CEO after the agency’s previous leader Lisa Wieland left in November 2023 and was “compensated for this additional responsibility (and) also received a bonus, which was approved by the Board,” spokeswoman Jennifer Mehigan told the Herald.

Freni earned $421,143 in the interim role, according to payroll records the Herald reviewed last spring.

Freni also oversees Massport Fire and Rescue, ground transportation operations to and from the airport, and the various tenants and businesses within the airports that employ nearly 20,000 people, Mehigan said.

“If I could pay Ed Freni more, I would,” Davey said in a statement shared with the Herald. “He’s been in the aviation business for more than 25 years, he’s an industry stalwart. He has great relationships with the airlines, he’s well respected by our law enforcement partners, and is one of the main reasons behind our record-breaking year.”

Mehigan pointed to how Logan served a “record-breaking” 43.5 million passengers last year, generating nearly $20 billion for the regional economy.  Business activity increased “across the board” at Massport within the past year, she said, with passenger growth at Logan jumping 6%.

“Massport is actively competing with other organizations and the private sector to recruit top talent,” Mehigan said, “and our competitive compensation and benefits packages reflect the labor market and our need to maintain operations, safety and security.”

Massachusetts GOP Chairwoman Amy Carnevale says Massport’s salaries raise “serious concerns about government spending and the need for greater accountability to taxpayers” at a time when “municipalities are facing financial challenges.”

“Massachusetts residents deserve responsible stewardship of their tax dollars and a commitment to fiscal responsibility at the state level,” Carnevale said in a statement.

Massachusetts quasi-state pay for 2024: Your Tax Dollars at Work