| Last week we had two relatively uneventful budget meetings and this week we held our normal Village Board meeting. The key points from the budget meetings are as follows:We agreed to do two concerts and possibly a third. Only Kathy Fenton did not agree.I pointed out that several of the discretionary budget items are not, in fact, discretionary. Since it was our new Village Manager’s first week and there was enough money to cover those requests, we were OK with those items. However, I pointed out that in the future these non-discretionary items (like repairs to toilets) need to be included in the initial budgets because they are not discretionary. Our new Village Manager agreed.Trustee Dodge spent a fair amount of time talking about Mr. Dubelbeis’ new role as he helps during the transition. Our new Village Manager George Koczwara pointed out that he had been on the job 4 days and that we will have another budget meeting on October 28th to discuss personnel that are funded as part of this year’s budget.I also pointed out that many of our departments saw a huge increase in salaries from 2017 levels. They were moved around within the department, but when added up they were increased. Mr. Koczwara said he would address that as well on the 28th.Trustee Dodge also had a strange comment, when he told staff that using ocular math he came up with $200,000 in discretionary requests. I bring this up because a half dozen people have asked me “what the heck is ocular math?” I told them that I think he meant that he was eyeballing it.We also had a board meeting this week. The board meeting included honoring the business of the month, the Orland Park Oasis on 143rd Street, and Interim Village Manager Tom Dubelbeis. We also approved a fitness center at Orland Square Mall. Additionally, Trustee Dodge put an item on the agenda at the last minute that would have made the Mayor’s position pension eligible once again. Tom Dubelbies was an outstanding Interim Village Manager and was exactly the right leader at the right time to change the toxic work environment that had existed in Village Hall under the previous Village Manager. My comments can be watched here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEH7-3ydVsk, starting at 6:10. We gave Tom a well-deserved Key to the Village. A fitness center came up for approval at the old Sears location. This approval was required as part of the theater approval that was given in the past. The vote was 6 to 1 with Trustee Fenton voting against it. She did not speak and I am not sure why she would be against 40,000 square feet of the lower level at the old Sears location being leased. Trustee Dodge also questioned how much sales tax dollars we are losing by doing a fitness center rather than traditional retail. However, he still voted to approve. From my perspective, with no Sears, there is no revenue, so redevelopment is more important than more retail space. Lastly Trustee Dodge put an item on the agenda to rescind the resolution that we passed in May (on a vote of 5-2) that made the Mayor’s position ineligible for a pension when it goes back to part time in 2021. Trustee Fenton seconded this motion. The effect of this would be to make the Mayor’s position eligible for a pension again. I will summarize this 45-minute discussion that starts at the 24-minute mark of the meeting. Watching this will give you much more than I can write. My initial comments follow: Trustee Dodge, you announced your run for Mayor almost a year ago in November of 2018. This action is meant to sneak in a provision to make that position eligible for a pension for you. If you want to make this part of your platform, RUN ON IT. Don’t sneak it in like the $150,000 pay increase you voted for in 2016. You want to make it seem like it is about me. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. I’m not taking a pension now or ever for being mayor of Orland Park. We have lowered the salary to $40,000 annually and made the mayor’s position ineligible for a pension at the next term. If these actions are reversed, and if you are elected mayor, you stand to gain $2.9 million in pension benefits for a measly $22,400 in contributions. A vote to rescind this resolution makes the mayor’s position pension eligible at the next election. Trustee Dodge wants to sneak this in because he has announced himself as candidate for mayor. I want to remind all of the elected officials that we work for the citizens of Orland Park and it is a privilege to serve them, NOT A RIGHT. With that privilege our duty is to implement policies that are in the best interest of the CITIZENS of Orland Park, NOT to vote for policies that serve your own financial and political interests. This resolution is about an elected official trying to line his own pockets at the expense of the citizens of Orland Park. SHAME ON YOU! Trustee Dodge had a lot of comments. First, he asked Attorney Walsh why the resolution did not meet Trustee Dodge’s goals. Attorney Walsh said he never spoke to him about the agenda item and that the resolution makes the Mayor’s position eligible for a pension. Trustee Dodge then blamed our attorneys for not doing what he intended. Then he tried to amend the motion to rescind another resolution. That was confusing so he then moved to table the discussion (which would stop the discussion). The board voted 4 to 3 to not table the motion (Trustees Healy, Milani and Katsenes joining me in voting against it). Then we discussed the amendment. Trustee Dodge voted for it, while Trustees Fenton and Calandriello abstained. Trustee Milani made a Point of Order that Trustees cannot abstain unless they have a conflict of interest or the board allows them to abstain. Trustee Fenton abstained (meaning she must want to get the pension and therefore has a conflict). Trustee Calandriello said he didn’t know enough about the amendment and couldn’t vote on it. He asked the board to allow him to abstain. This was denied with Trustees Dodge, Katsenes and Milani making him vote. He said that “under duress” he would vote no. (I am not sure what the duress was, at least he ended up doing the right thing.) Trustee Dodge’s confusing amendment failed 5 to 1, with only Trustee Dodge voting for it. Then came the vote on Trustee Dodge’s self-serving motion. It failed 5 to 2. Trustees Fenton and Dodge voted to again make the mayor’s position eligible for a pension. The remainder of the board, including me, voted to leave in place the ban on the Mayor receiving a pension. During the discussion several comments were made. In summary:Trustee Dodge again presented a strawman that the three new Trustees and I were going to change the rules so I could get a pension, despite the fact that we have consistently voted AGAINST the mayor receiving a pension while Dodge has now voted twice for the mayor to receive a pension.Trustee Fenton didn’t understand why the mayor is eligible for a pension when nobody else is. (Though she just voted to make the mayor eligible for a pension in the next term).Trustee Healy pointed out that Trustee Dodge was wasting village time and money. He suggested that we enact an ordinance that allows the mayor, the Village manager or two trustees to put something on the agenda or engage an attorney.Trustee Milani pointed out that Trustee Dodge continued to try and politicize the pension issue even though all three of the new trustees and the Mayor ran on not taking the pension and eliminating pensions for elected officials. He asked the crowd if, after running on eliminating pensions, then eliminating them, and then reinstating them as Trustee Dodge suggested, anyone would vote for them again and nobody raised their hand.Trustee Katsenes asked a simple question of Trustee Dodge that if the Mayor not receiving a pension was so important to him why did he vote for a $150,000 salary and the egregious pension that went with it a few years ago? During all of the discussions Trustee Dodge made several assertions that he wants investigated. I suppose that we will need to waste the board’s time further in the future to research Trustee Dodge’s baseless accusations. These included, but were not limited to:I violated Robert’s Rules of Order. – Trustee Dodge is incorrectThe mayor’s position was clearly made to be part time prior to the 2019 election. – Trustee Dodge is again incorrectTrustee Healy’s suggestion violated Illinois law. – Trustee Dodge is again incorrectDodge didn’t take a village salary for 7 years when he was on the Metra Board. – Trustee Dodge is correct here. Except he failed to note that it was illegal to take Metra pay and Village pay so he took the Metra Pay because it was higher and it had a ridiculously generous pension system. In fact, the pension system was so ridiculous, the State of Illinois passed a law in 2013 banning all RTA pensions for board members (including Metra), because board members were receiving lavish pensions at taxpayer expense. Based on Dodge’s conspiracy theories, I will receive a pension worth over a million dollars. – Trustee Dodge is again incorrect. I guess he was doing ocular math instead of real math again.He was joking when he told reporters in November of 2018 that he was running for Mayor. As I recall, after the term limit referendum was put in place an angry Jim Dodge went to the reporters table and said, “He left me no choice, I’m going to run for Mayor.” He then repeated the same to the citizens in the crowd, including Trustee Milani. In summary, Trustee Dodge put a resolution on the agenda to make the Mayor’s position eligible for a pension. He and Trustee Fenton voted for it. Everyone else voted against it. I want to remind everyone, when I ran for Mayor I promised to:Lower the salary back to $40,000 for the next term, and I kept my promise.Not take a pension, and I kept my promise.Make Orland Park elected officials ineligible to take a pension, and they are no longer eligible. On a positive note, I want to remind everyone of some great upcoming events:Von Maur Grand Opening on November 2ndTurkey Shoot Free Throw Contest on November 24thOrland Park Turkey Trot on November 28thOrland Park Holiday Festival on December 1st |
