DuPage candidates: Cut our salaries

The challenger in the District 4 DuPage County Board race wants to cut board members' pay in half and use the savings to start a pool of money county social service agencies can access for loans in lieu of delinquent state payments.

Democrat Tom Wendorf said reducing the 18-member board's annual salary to about $25,000 a year would free up about $450,000 in the budget. He would use the money for short-term, interest-free loans to area social service agencies for operational costs until the state comes through on promised funding.

“That way we're not really funding them, just allowing them to survive at a difficult economic time,” he said.

Salaries for the 18-member board are currently set at $50,079 a year.

Many social service agencies have struggled financially in recent years and administrators have had to make programming and staffing cuts because the state is late paying these groups.

Republican incumbent JR McBride supports the idea of cutting board members' salaries as well, but would use the money saved to fund children's programs at the county health department that have been cut or lost funding in recent years.

McBride said he's been on the front line arguing against pay increases for the board since he was first elected in 2006. He was among a majority who recently voted down raises and did away with extra stipends for committee chairmanships.

“I do think it's a very highly paid job, and I am in favor of reducing the salaries,” he said, “but I would say that the current pay scale always attracts a higher qualified pool of candidates than you would see with a lower salary.”

For his part, McBride would like to end pensions that elected board members are eligible to receive and replace the county employee pension system with a 401(k).

“One of the first things I did when I got on the board was talk to people about the problems with a pension system,” he said. “I'm afraid the pension system is going to go down.”

Wendorf also opposes pensions for board members and supports moving to a 401(k) program for employees as well because “it's an area where we wind up paying too much.”

Wendorf said squaring off against McBride in the Nov. 2 election is difficult because the two share many of the same concerns.

“What I bring to the table is leadership and looking ahead to problems that may be down the path, and I haven't seen that (McBride) has exhibited leadership in many areas,” Wendorf said. “But he's a more difficult candidate to face because he is a moderate.”

McBride said he has led the charge on a number of initiatives during his first term on the county board and as someone who challenges the status quo, voters don't need change in District 4.

“People want to trust the person they elected will get things done for them and if they can't, at least get them in touch with the right people who can,” he said. “I do that.”