Burr Ridge Voters Reject Mayor's Pay Raise

BURR RIDGE, IL — Tuesday's election was good for Burr Ridge Gary Grasso and his allies. But voters rejected the proposal to increase the mayor's salary to $12,000, from $6,000.

According to election results, 58 percent of voters turned down the pay raise.

Last fall, Grasso proposed raising the mayor's salary to $30,000 and mailed a letter to the community seeking its input. Even Grasso's allies had problems with such an increase.

Trustee Al Paveza called it "out of line," while Trustee Joe Snyder said $12,000 was more appropriate, noting the salary had not gone up in more than a decade. Trustee Guy Franzese, who won re-election Tuesday, opposed any increase for the mayor, saying the village had postponed raises for the staff because of the pandemic.

Burr Ridge resident Patricia Davis fought against the mayor's pay raise.

“I’m grateful that the voters recognized that this mayor does not merit a raise in salary, especially during a pandemic when the Village of Burr Ridge should be showing the same fiscal restraint as its residents," Davis said in a statement.

Most area mayors earn little, with their jobs considered part time. Those in Hinsdale and Western Springs make nothing.

In Illinois, members of school and park boards receive no pay.

However, members of the Burr Ridge-based Flagg Creek Water Reclamation District make $17,520 a year, almost three times what the Burr Ridge mayor earns.

If you just count the meetings as the work Flagg Creek board members do, then they pull in $1,460 each time. That amounts to $24 a minute for a meeting that lasts an hour.