Des Plaines mayoral candidates clash over health insurance for elected officials

Des Plaines mayoral candidates are sparring over whether elected officials should collect taxpayer-funded health insurance benefits - an ongoing disagreement among city council members for more than a year.

Mayor Matt Bogusz sharply criticized Alderman Malcolm Chester, who's challenging the first-term incumbent, during an interview with the Daily Herald editorial board Wednesday.

Bogusz described the effort to kick elected officials off the city's health plan as a way to change the type of aldermen serving on city council. He calls the health insurance plan for elected officials a "selfish perk."

"As long as this fundamental issue is in place, we won't change," Bogusz said.

Elected officials contribute 12 percent of premium costs, and the city pays the remainder. The health plan costs taxpayers about $90,000 annually.

Chester, who uses the city's health insurance, said he's taken steps to remove himself from the coverage but ran into problems with state and federal laws. Chester advocated reducing benefits or requiring elected officials to pay significantly more.

The problem with Bogusz's approach, Chester said, was the mayor moved to unilaterally remove elected officials from the city's health insurance after aldermen voted to keep benefits.

A year ago, Bogusz directed the city staff to remove the six alderman and the city clerk with city health insurance after attorneys determined an ordinance authorizing them didn't exist. Aldermen Patti Haugeberg, John Robinson, Dick Sayad, Jim Brookman, Mike Charewicz and City Clerk Gloria Ludwig are covered by city health insurance. Bogusz and Aldermen Denise Rodd and Don Smith are not.

"The proper way of dealing with that would not have been to take them away," Chester said, arguing the mayor's decision could have harmed sick family members of aldermen. Bogusz said elected officials on the plan could have kept health insurance for a year.

Bogusz later vetoed an ordinance allowing elected officials to retain health insurance, but aldermen, including Chester, voted to override the mayor.

Chester argued the city should create a commission to study benefits and compensation for elected officials. He said Bogusz's approach to the health insurance issue is one of many times the mayor has made decisions without communicating with aldermen.

"There's a lot of dissension," Chester said. "There's a lot of ill will."

Meanwhile, Bogusz has proposed a new ordinance to decrease health insurance benefits for elected officials to match the coverage of city employees, who've recently taken a reduction in benefits as part of collective bargaining agreements with two city unions.

Aldermen are set to vote on Bogusz's proposal Monday - the last city council meeting scheduled before early voting begins for the April 4 election.