DuPage prosecutors lobby for staff raises

Like well-dressed Oliver Twists with their collective hands out, three veteran DuPage County prosecutors stood in front of the county board's finance committee Thursday begging for more.

Citing more work for less pay than counterparts in other counties, increasing insurance costs and a lack of retention incentives, the trio urged the board members to support State Attorney Joseph Birkett's call for across-the-board 11 percent raises for prosecutors.

"At this rate, I won't be finished paying off my student loans until I'm 71," said Jim Scaliatine. "We're not looking for compassionate compensation, but commiserate."

He even told the committee he was currently being hounded by bill collectors because he is two months behind paying his student loan tab. He asked the board to support Birkett's request for $60,000 to start a debt relief program for longtime prosecutors.

Paul Marchese told the committee he makes $20,000 less than his counterpart in Lake County, which has double the staff and two-thirds the caseload. Marchese heads Birkett's narcotics unit.

"I'm proud to be going after the most insidious criminals who are poisoning our citizens," he said. "But the fact of the matter is when I go home I'm still working, and when the guy from Lake County goes home he can go to bed."

The tenor of the presentations was fairly unprecedented, some board members said.

"That was an extremely candid exchange of information," said board member Jeff Redick. "What happened today put a face to the problem, but it wasn't information that most board members weren't already aware of."

Redick said most department heads know public safety budgets will take precedence this year.

The prosecutors said they had no problems airing their personal financial woes if it helped drive their point home.

"There's a bigger picture you need to express, and if it means a little embarrassment to have good prosecutors then that's what has to be done," Marchese said.

Financial crimes prosecutor Ken Tatarelis, an eight-year veteran, said the spike in his insurance premium would eat up most of his raise, anyway.

"At some point you have to start looking at other jobs," he said.