IL Atty Gen to Solve Mystery of Missing Moustis Money: Op-Ed

There is something rotten in Frankfort Township, as Shakespeare would say, and the stench is surrounding Jim Moustis’ income.

In the most recent chapter of the saga to understand how much Moustis – as Will County Board Speaker and Frankfort Township Supervisor – is milking his constituents with four tax-payer-funded revenue streams, the township gave me conflicting documents.

To properly sort it all out, I’ve requested the Illinois Attorney General Public Access Counselor to review the documents. That is the customary next step in the Freedom of Information Act process when there is conflict with access to public records in Illinois.

The whole thing began when Moustis started collecting Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) pensions for both of his current elected positions as county board speaker and as township supervisor — jobs he still holds and is not retired from.

I called it “quadruple dipping” in my op-ed, titled “Moustis’ Double-Dipping Textbook Worthy: Gallagher.” However, in response Moustis told WJOL's Scott Slocum I was wrong.

He didn't deny that he earns pensions for both jobs he is not retired from, but he is denying how much salary he earns from Frankfort Township. He told Slocum he only earns $43,000 there, and I had written that Moustis voted himself a raise to $86,900, (up from $74k the prior year). I wrote it then, and stand by it now, because Frankfort Township records say so.

Specifically, I cited the township’s meeting minutes and resolution from April 25, 2016 — an official township public record that indicate Moustis voted “aye” and signed the resolution authorizing his extremely inflated salary.

Still, Moustis called me out, and I felt the need to revisit my sources. Using a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, I asked the township to prove it.

After a delay, the township finally responded. What they sent was a document that their own meeting minutes say doesn’t exist.

The township sent me Resolution 0912-2016.2, which is dated and signed September 12, 2016. (Hence, the numbering of the resolution to reflect the date.)

This September resolution states that Moustis slashed his salary from the already-approved $86,900 down to $43,000 a mere five months later.

Huh. How did I miss that?

Turns out, I didn’t.

I had downloaded and read the September 12, 2016 meeting minutes, but filed them away because they showed the matter of changing Moustis’ salary was “tabled" and never voted on.

Plus, unlike the earlier April resolution upping his ginormous salary, which is available online, this alleged September resolution allegedly decreasing it, is not online.

Frankfort Township has two documents signed and dated the same day declaring opposite actions.

Just in case it was just a simple date mix up, I checked all the meeting minutes from the rest of the year, and none indicate a salary reduction was ever voted on. In fact, at each meeting all the board members approved the prior meeting's minutes. So if it is determined that the clerk somehow made a mistake, then every one of the board members were also asleep at the wheel.

Perhaps Frankfort Township Trustees were too distracted reading headlines about Superintendent of Lincoln-Way School District 210 Lawrence Wyllie's demise and eventual federal indictment to pay attention to their own board’s $43,900 mistake.

What caused Moustis to suddenly gain a conscience about his heavily-inflated salary?

Could it be because of the pensions? After all, the salary matter was on the agenda and tabled at the same time as the issue of creating the pension loophole that allows him to collect while not retired.

Moustis' combined pensions for both county board member and township supervisor is $79,816.20 a year, according to IMRF.

Then to add more confusion the mystery of the missing salary, Frankfort Township also provided me internal payroll reports — not W2s — that show Moustis’ salary dropped, starting in May, 2017.

Including the insurance opt-out, and a couple thousand as treasurer, these payroll reports show he was paid $73,595.64 in 2015; $75,673.20 in 2016; $57,588.00 in 2017; and so far in 2018 $41,333.30.

If these are accurate, they show that Moustis is actually making a lot closer to $43k than $87k, but without a board vote then he is getting robbed.

I can’t help but think that if Moustis willingly slashed his salary by half, wouldn’t he tell the world about it? That’s a huge political win.

Perhaps the Illinois Attorney General's Public Access Counselor can figure it out.

"Working under the direction and supervision of the Attorney General and with a team of attorneys and professional staff, the Public Access Counselor’s mission is to help people obtain public documents and access public meetings," according to the state's FOIA website.

Until then from where I stand, these conflicting documents just don’t pass the smell test.

Erin Gallagher appears as an occasional guest op-ed columnist for Patch. com. She is a public relations consultant who serves her clients as community liaison. Unlike other gun-for-hire PR pros, Erin's community-liaison approach ensures clients maintain credibility and lasting relationships within their communities. Erin Gallagher is no ordinary spin doctor. Her clients are confident in putting forth a message that is genuine. With a reputation for integrity, transparency and fairness, "Erin Gallagher drives it straight up the fairway!" She can be reached via www.ErinGallagher.net.