I was a little surprised to see that Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb is seeking a substantial pay raise for whoever holds his office in the future, possibly himself. I seem to recall that our mayor ran on a platform that focused on reduced spending and taxes while also repairing the large deficit in the village’s pension funds.
I was only a little surprised because our mayor came into office with no prior experience in local government, not even in the form of serving on one of our many volunteer boards and commissions. I also wondered how he would balance his evening-time responsibilities as a restaurant owner with his many night-time duties when most village meetings occur.
Our mayor’s proposal challenges Oak Park’s Village Manager form of government in which the village board, including the mayor, adopts or amends various ordinances (most importantly the annual budget) and hires a full-time professional manager to serve as the chief executive.
Under this concept, the village has, for decades, elected trustees and a village president who agreed to serve part-time for sub-minimum wages. I think of them as truly rendering a public service, the rough equivalence of volunteering for military service or joining the Peace Corps. They don’t typically do it for the money. The village president or mayor earns a bit more compensation for the extra time spent on ceremonial duties and while representing the village with outside boards and governmental entities. These duties should not, however, require one’s full time.
Frankly, I believe the village’s interests would be better served if the money our mayor is seeking for his position went instead to the Oak Park Regional Housing Center whose budget he has sought to reduce.
Larry Christmas
Former Oak Park village president
