Moustis’ Actual Salary is Double What He Claims: Gallagher Op-Ed

When you make as much money as Jim Moustis, it’s understandable how he could lose track of $43,900.

That’s the difference between what Moustis says he makes and what he actually makes, records show.

Moustis, the Will County Board speaker and Frankfort Township Supervisor told WJOL morning radio host Scott Slocum that my op-ed on Frankfort Patch, titled “Moustis’ Double-Dipping Textbook Worthy: Gallagher,”was “full of inaccuracies." I wrote he makes $86,900 as township supervisor. He told Slocum his salary is only $43,000 for the job.

Since accuracy is in question, here is exactly what he said:

"Well, first off, you know, Erin, uh, Er-Erin Gallagher as you pointed out, is a consultant. Somebody pays her. And very often I think she works as a political consultant. So, so, uh yeah, ah, I think that has to be said,” Moustis told Slocum.

“Uh, but as far as the article goes, it was full of inaccuracies. It’s, it’s, it’s uh, you know, I don’t, I do not make $89,000 uh, at the, at the uh, uh, Frankfort Township, I make $43,000. So, that's one, one, one, of the errors.”

Although I am often wrong, I am rarely inaccurate.

Turns out, Moustis not only earns the nearly $87K as the township supe, he also voted in favor of his own raise — and he also signed the resolution granting himself the 17% pay hike from 2016, according to the Resolution 0425-A-2016 and Frankfort Township’s April 25, 2016 meeting minutes.

My October 15th op-ed explained how the going rate for neighboring township supervisors is half what he makes. Plus he earns $24,000 as county board leadership.

Then on top of that, Moustis also collects a pension of $6,651.35 per month from the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF) for both positions, despite the fact that he is not retired from either of them. In total, he makes $190,716 per year, I wrote.

So after he told Slocum my numbers were wrong, instead of me yelling “liar, liar, pants on fire,” I went back to check my sources. Here they are: Frankfort Township meeting minutes, the Illinois Comptroller, IMRF and Better Government Association, Illinois' Non-Partisan Full-Service Watchdog and Open the Books.

I called Moustis’ four tax-payer-funded incomes "quadruple dipping.” I suggested he write a textbook.

After nearly three decades as a politician, he has earned the right to alternative facts. If I were Moustis, I would have told Slocum the same thing. (Well, not exactly.)

Moustis’ only option was to blame me, and to call my report politically-funded. It the classic elected official conundrum: he got caught with both hands (and in Moustis’ case also both feet) in the cookie jar, and he has to blame someone. Right?

Still, if there is funding for my op-ed, please let me know the bank account where it was deposited, because I’ve not received anything, and a little extra Christmas cash would be nice.

Not to mention, anyone who knows me knows my opinions have always been free.

Agh, Moustis' razzle has no sizzle.

Of course, there is always a chance that the salary that Moustis voted for himself never actually made it into his paycheck. Let’s say, for example, the proverbial bag man fell and hit his head on the way to the bank. No, everything’s electronic these days, so maybe someone forgot to hit “send” or enter the correct amount, or some other clerical problem, let’s say.

Using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), I requested copies of the resolution from Frankfort Township, as well as his year-end payroll records the past two years and a current pay check stub.

This is all public record, and usually in cases like this the township would redact certain private information, like a social security number. But they are dragging their feet. Of course, Moustis is first on the list of Frankfort Township’s FOIA officers.

In Illinois, a governmental body, like a township, has five business days to comply with a FOIA request, with the option of requesting an extension. That’s what Frankfort Township did. Here is how I responded:

"Mr. Moustis claimed that my report of his salary was inaccurate by nearly half. If you have anything that suggests that my numbers were inaccurate, I would gladly correct the record with an apology. My guess is that he would like that sooner than later, which I’m happy to supply. Your extension does not give him much time for a correction,” I wrote in an email to the other FOIA officer.

My request was filed October 17. Still no response.

If Moustis were genuinely hell-bent on correcting the record, he could easily take a Sharpie and a camera phone would get it done. He could send it to either me or to Slocum or post on Patch.com or Facebook, or any number of places. He can even put a photo in the comment section below.

Personally, I think he just plum forgot how much money he was making. Afterall, earlier this year when salaries were debated, he said “I never made a living in government,” according to a Daily Southtown report from April 5.

Well, if you subtract the $43,900 that he forgot about from the $190,716 he actually makes, (including the two pensions he collects for jobs he is not retired from), that means in his mind he only makes $146,816 per year.

I can see how that’s something to complain about.

Erin Gallagher 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.