No $119K Raise For Bensenville Village Leader

BENSENVILLE, IL – Two-thirds of Bensenville voters on Tuesday rejected a referendum that would have set in motion a $119,000 raise for Village President Frank DeSimone.

According to unofficial returns, 1,151 voters supported keeping the managerial form of government, while 590 wanted to eliminate it.

Opponents of the raise cheered the election result.

"We, the residents of Bensenville, will not be used to provide a financial windfall to Frank DeSimone," resident Chris McCullough said in an email to Patch. "We expect our hard-earned tax dollars to be respected and wisely utilized with a professional and knowledgeable village manager as a part of our municipal leadership team."

In a statement to Patch, DeSimone described the election as "somewhat bittersweet for me."

To the public, he said, "I thank you for reelecting me to another term as your Village President. I am disappointed that we couldn't get the support to change the form of government. I have learned some valuable lessons from this election."

DeSimone said he would never take residents' votes for granted.

"All of the negative information which came out against me, it was disappointing to see that people will go as low as possible to throw mud at me," he said. "I understand it is accepted in today’s world of politics. That needs to change. Regardless of the referendum, the Village is prospering and will continue to prosper. The Board and I have great plans for the next 4 years, and we will continue to make Bensenville stronger."

No one opposed DeSimone or the trustees up for election.

Shortly after the candidate filing period in November, the Village Board voted to fire Village Manager Evan Summers after eight years of service. No one gave a reason.

A week later, the board decided to put a referendum on Tuesday's ballot on whether to keep the managerial form of government.

At the same meeting, trustees voted to increase the village president's salary to $157,000, up from $38,000, if voters did away with the current form of government.

All of these votes were unanimous and without discussion.

The decisions angered residents, who spoke at meetings in opposition. They accused the board of waiting until after the filing period to take the controversial actions.

The mayor in neighboring Elmhurst, with a population 2½ times larger, gets $8,400 a year.

In Rockford, which is eight times larger, the mayor pulls in $130,000 a year, which is set to rise to $149,000 this year, according to the Rockford Register Star.

In a story last month, Patch revealed that at least 14 companies that did business with Bensenville in 2023 contributed to DeSimone's campaign account.

The contractors included engineers, car dealerships, consultants, law firms, a construction company and a lobbyist.

In response to a Patch inquiry last month, DeSimone said the companies voluntarily contributed to his campaign. All the contributions complied with the law and are listed on the state Board of Elections website, he said.