Skokie Senior Village Staff Set For Retroactive Raises, Benefit Boost

SKOKIE, IL — Village trustees are set to adjust salaries for appointed staff, with retroactive raises to wages and deferred compensation plans for the village's highest-paid employees.

An ordinance up for final approval Tuesday increases the base salary for Skokie's village manager, corporation counsel, assistant corporation counsels and deputy village clerk.

The effective date for each of the raises is May 1, 2022 — more than 10 months ago.

Village Manager John Lockerby is set to see his salary rise from $228,375 to $234,000, and receive a a $508 increase in his annual deferred compensation.

According to the village's 2022 compensation report, Lockerby also receives a $7,100 annual car stipend and $1,100 for longevity.

Corporation Counsel Mike Lorge is in line to receive $221,605, with $34,466 in deferred compensation, up from $216,200 and $33,625.

Assistant Corporation Counsel James McCarthy — who also chairs the Skokie Caucus Party, which slated all but one member of the village board — gets a raise from $137,852 to $141,301.

The other assistant corporation counsels in Lorge's office received similar wage increases. And a part-time assistant corporation counsel position that has yet to be hired is in line to make $37,600 a year.

And Deputy Village Clerk Sylvia Luke is set for a pay raise of nearly 9 percent, with her base salary rising from $77,000 to about $83,650, effective May 2022.

Full-time appointed staff also receive the same medical benefits as other village employees, which amounts to more than $28,000-a-year in the case of Lorge and Lockerby.

Skokie Patch asked Lorge, who introduced the wage hike ordinance last month, for more information about the justification for setting its effective date as last May. Any response received will be added here.

Trustees approved the compensation adjustment without comment at its first reading on Feb. 21.

Earlier: Skokie Trustees Consider Raises For Village Manager, Attorneys