Politics & Government

Grayslake's Michael Ellis is Among the Highest Paid Village Managers in State: Report

Ellis makes more than every governor in the U.S. and is the third highest-paid village manager in Illinois, according to OpenTheBooks.com

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Grayslake Village Manger Michael Ellis is among the top-paid village managers in the state --- an elite group whose salaries actually top those of every governor in every state in the U.S., according to recently data from OpenTheBooks.com.

The annual report found Ellis was the third highest-paid village manager in Illinois, earning $263,269 in 2015. Glenview village manager Lawrence Hileman earned the highest salary -- $303,076 -- among city and village managers in the state in 2015 while Richard Nahrstad, the village manager in Northbrook, brought in the second-highest salary at $263,392.

Adam Andrzejewski, founder of OpenTheBooks.com, writes about the salary report in a recent Forbes article.

In Illinois, 72 small-town city and village managers out-earn every governor of the 50 states. Another 111 local employees of water districts, airport districts, park districts, counties, forest preserves, mass transit districts, health clinics and planning districts also earn more than the 50 governors ($180,000).

OpenTheBooks.com, is part of a project by American Transperancy, a non-profit organization, and is aimed at encouraging transparency in public spending. The group's annual salary database shows the following city and village managers as the highest-paid in the state:

  1. Lawrence Hileman, Glenview Village Manager: $303,076
  2. Richard Nahrstad, Northbrook Village Manager: $263,392
  3. Michael Ellis, Grayslake Village Manager: $263,269
  4. Reid Ottesen, Palatine Village Manager: $260,296
  5. Robert Kiely, Lake Forest City Manager: $256,196
  6. Michael Janonis, Mount Prospect Village Manager: $250,544
  7. Kevin Bowens, Libertyville Village Manager: $242,397
  8. Christopher Stephens, Rosemont Village Manager: $240,000
  9. Walter Bobkiewicz, Evanston City Manager: $232,671
  10. Sean Stegall, Elgin City Manager: $229,917

>> REBOOT: These are the 10 Highest-Paid City Managers in Illinois

More via Forbes.com and OpenTheBooks.com

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