Pension Plus Raise: Bensenville Leader May See $229K Yearly
BENSENVILLE, IL – Bensenville’s village president, who could see his pay spike next year, also started receiving a pension after retiring from a nearby police department in August.
If voters do away with the managerial form of government in the April 1 election, Village President Frank DeSimone would see his pay rise to $157,000, up from $38,000 (his $26,000 salary, plus the $12,000 liquor commissioner pay).
Through a public records request, Patch obtained DeSimone’s pension records from the Schiller Park Police Department, where he retired as a detective after 25 years.
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DeSimone’s pension is $72,192 a year, which is nearly 40 percent less than his final salary of $115,523. If voters go DeSimone’s way, his total pay, pension included, would amount to $229,000.
During his years in Schiller Park, DeSimone, who is now in his early 50s, contributed $186,084 to the pension system. He’ll get that amount back over 2½ years.
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If voters go along, DeSimone’s pay as village president could be far higher than what most of his counterparts receive. Patch wrote about the situation in a story earlier this month.
The Village Board’s plan to raise DeSimone’s pay was kept secret from the public until after the candidate filing period ended in November. Without explanation, the board also fired Village Manager Evan Summers after eight years.
At the Dec. 4 meeting, the board voted to put the referendum on the ballot about the managerial form of government.
“There are some in our community trying to spread misinformation,” DeSimone said at the meeting. “They are claiming that the village board and my decision to ask residents to decide if the managerial form of government should be retained was a great secret. For over eight years, this idea has been discussed. Any claim to the contrary is just plain untrue and being made to serve political self-interest.”
Shortly after, resident Chris McCullough requested documents showing that the change of government has been a topic in village government. In response, the village said it has no such records.
DeSimone and other village incumbents are running unopposed.
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