Half of Kane board misses at least 22% of meetings
New numbers show nearly half the Kane County Board elected at the end of 2012 missed at least 22 percent of all meetings but still received the full salary, pension and health insurance benefits that come with the position.
County board Chairman Chris Lauzen included the attendance figures as a supplemental report to an ordinance the board voted on Tuesday. The ordinance, approved by the board, keeps the $25,000 base salary of board members flat through 2017. The supplemental report also provided a look at the value of the benefits the board members, who work part-time, opt to receive.
Sixteen of 24 members on the board opt to receive pension, health and dental insurance along with the base salary. One board member, T.R. Smith, receives just the pension and dental insurance. Five members take only the pension benefit. And only two members, Mike Donahue and Becky Gillam, take only the base salary.
Seeing the value of the full benefit package sparked some comment from Donahue about the need for elected officials to set a good example of fiscal responsibility. Several board members receive a total compensation valued at nearly $48,000 with the benefits.
"We shouldn't run for either the salary or the benefits," Donahue said. "We've talked about areas to save money. My personal belief is we should be citizen legislators. It's nearly a doubling of our compensation for people who take full benefits."
The comments were magnified by numbers showing 11 of the 24 members missed at least 22 percent of the full county board, committee of the whole and committee meetings they were expected to attend.
At the top of the list of absentee officials is Jesse Vazquez, who missed 73 percent of the meetings he was scheduled to attend.
Vazquez began working for a different company since his last election. He's also found himself at odds with Lauzen on a number of issues ever since Lauzen stripped Vazquez of his leadership role on the board's Legislative Committee.
Vazquez questioned the timing of Lauzen's release of the document just before an election, as well as the document's validity.
"This document, while we're required to publish the salaries of board members, we're not required to publish this," Vazquez said. "And it doesn't reflect anything. It doesn't reflect the meetings we attend as forest preserve commissioners or any other meetings. I'm not sure that it's even accurate."
Lauzen said he wasn't surprised Vazquez objected.
"I understand your concern with a 27 percent attendance record," Lauzen said. "The background of all the attendance is recorded and backed up. It's documented. It is accurate. It's a statement of fact, not an attack."
The Daily Herald last reported on board attendance in 2011 when former Chairman Karen McConnaughay began tracking the statistics on the county website. That report showed a similar lack of attendance from board members, including at least eight who are no longer on the board.
Some, including Vazquez, remain. The 2011 report showed he missed 10 of 50 meetings, making him absent 20 percent of the time.
Board member Drew Frasz had the best attendance in the 2011 report. On Tuesday, he again had high attendance numbers, having missed only two meetings the past two years. Frasz accepts the full benefits package, but he said he'd be open to discussing eliminating the benefits.
"You can't get out of the pension once you've signed up," Frasz said. "I looked into that already for myself. So if we voted on that, it would be for the future boards. On the other hand, I think we are the only county board in the state that also sits as the forest preserve commission and health board. So I think we provide an excellent value."
Kane County Board absentee rates
Meeting totals include full county board, committee of the whole, and committee meetings.
1. Jesse Vazquez (Montgomery): Absent 73 percent of the time (attended 13 of 48 meetings)
2. Myrna Molina (Aurora): Absent 64 percent of the time (attended 19 of 53 meetings)
3. Melisa Taylor (Sugar Grove): Absent 50 percent of the time (attended 37 of 74 meetings)
4. Jennifer Laesch (Aurora): Absent 47 percent of the time (attended 29 of 55 meetings)
5. Monica Silva (Aurora): Absent 33 percent of the time (attended 24 of 36 meetings)
6. Mark Davoust (St. Charles): Absent 31 percent of the time (attended 35 of 51 meetings)
6. John Hoscheit (St. Charles): Absent 31 percent of the time (attended 31 of 45 meetings)
8. Phil Lewis (St. Charles): Absent 29 percent of the time (attended 39 of 55 meetings)
9. Susan Starrett (Batavia): Absent 26 percent of the time (attended 32 of 43 meetings)
10. Cristina Castro (Elgin): Absent 22 percent of the time (attended 35 of 45 meetings)
10. Mike Donahue (Geneva): Absent 22 percent of the time (attended 28 of 36 meetings)
12. Ron Ford (Aurora): Absent 15 percent of the time (attended 44 of 52 meetings)
13. Kurt Kojzarek (Gilberts): Absent 14 percent of the time (attended 38 of 44 meetings)
14. Mike Kenyon (South Elgin): Absent 12 percent of the time (attended 36 of 41 meetings)
15. Maggie Auger (Algonquin): Absent 10 percent of the time (attended 44 of 49 meetings)
16. Barb Wojnicki (Campton Hills): Absent 9 percent of the time (attended 41 of 45 meetings)
17. Theresa Barriero (Aurora): Absent 7 percent of the time (attended 74 of 80 meetings)
17. T.R. Smith (Hampshire): Absent 7 percent of the time (attended 65 of 70 meetings)
19. Becky Gillam (West Dundee): Absent 6 percent of the time (attended 64 of 68 meetings)
19. Doug Scheflow (Elgin): Absent 6 percent of the time (attended 50 of 53 meetings)
21. Brian Pollock (Aurora): Absent 4 percent of the time (attended 55 of 57 meetings)
22. Drew Frasz (Elburn): Absent 3 percent of the time (attended 60 of 62 meetings)
23. Deb Allan (Elgin): Absent 2 percent of the time (attended 60 of 61 meetings)
23. Joe Haimann (Carpentersville): Absent 2 percent of the time (attended 46 of 47 meetings)
SOURCE: Kane County Board, Office of the Chairman