Letter: DuPage Forest Commissioners' Pay Drastically Out of Line

Elected officials have an obligation to lead by example and do their part to fix out of control, unnecessary government spending. That’s what we were elected to do.

The Illinois House took a step towards reigning in state spending by adopting a spending cap for this year’s budget that will force state government to live within its means. I joined many of my colleagues in sponsoring legislation to cut lawmaker pay and reduce or eliminate compensation for state board and commission members.

These are all encouraging steps towards achieving fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget. But, there is more work for us to do in order to achieve true fiscal responsibility for the taxpayers.

I introduced HB 2377 to give voters the opportunity to eliminate the compensation of DuPage County’s six Forest Preserve commissioners and chairman. DuPage County Forest Preserve commissioners’ pay, pension, and dental and medical benefits are drastically out of line with our neighboring counties. DuPage County’s generous packages are worth up to $149,577 annually in exchange for attending a weekly meeting, while other counties pay their commissioners a small stipend capped at $3,000 without benefits.

If this bill passes, the power to cut politician pay would be placed directly in the hands of the voters. In these trying economic times, we cannot continue to ask hard-working families in DuPage County to fund extravagant compensation packages for elected officials responsible for attending one meeting a week. Instead, we should respect the public trust, invest our precious dollars into the Forest Preserve’s services for our families, and stop forcing taxpayers to pay for disproportionate high politician pay.

In the next few weeks, I will be circulating a petition to gain support for this legislation to allow voters to decide whether or not to cut the Forest Preserve commissioners pay and benefits.  If you would like to sign or circulate a petition in your neighborhood or community group, please do not hesitate to email me at repdebconroy@gmail.com.

—Deb Conroy (D-46, Elmhurst)