Burr Ridge Mayor Pay Raise Proposal Rejected

BURR RIDGE, IL — Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso wanted to raise his pay to $30,000, from $6,000. The Burr Ridge Village Board on Monday rejected that idea.

Instead, the board decided to double the mayor's pay to $12,000, but only if voters approve the hike in a referendum in next April's municipal election.

By the village government's count, 133 residents sent messages stating they supported the mayor's proposal, while another 30 agreed with a raise but not all the way to $30,000. Still another 72 opposed any increase whatsoever.

Grasso himself wasn't at Monday's meeting, but he has said before that the mayor's responsibilities have increased over time, warranting a pay raise.

Last month, he sent a letter to Burr Ridge residents pushing for the raise, a mailing that one trustee said cost taxpayers $5,000.

The village faced a deadline to set a new salary for the mayor. Under state law, a decision must be made 180 days in advance of a new term, which starts in early May. That deadline was this week.

Trustee Guy Franzese, who was presiding over the meeting in the mayor's absence, said he opposed any increase for the mayor, noting the village postponed raises for the staff because of the pandemic. He said he would have favored a raise a year ago when the economy was doing fine.

Trustee Zach Mottl, a regular critic of Grasso, also said he opposed an increase because employees weren't getting increases in pay.

"I'm not in favor of a raise for the mayor or trustees,"Mottl said. "Team comes first, bosses come second. This is an inappropriate thing. I'm so disappointed in the mayor's actions."

However, Trustee Al Paveza said he could support a raise because the job demanded more attention than it did a decade ago.

"People in charge want to deal with the mayor," Paveza said. "They'll deal with the professional staff, but they wan tto deal with the mayor."

The board voted 4-2 for the increase to $12,000, contingent on the referendum. Franzese and Mottl dissented.

Most area mayors get little pay. Those in Hinsdale and Western Springs receive nothing.