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Mount Prospect's new finance director reunited with former boss

Amit Thakkar on Monday went to work for Mount Prospect Village Manager Michael Cassady, which reprises the relationship the two formerly had in Bensenville.

He joins a staff that contains two other former Bensenville employees, Andrew Schaeffer, chief technology and innovation officer, and Mark Rysavy, deputy director of Building and Inspection Services.

"Knowing Mike might help a little bit, but there was competition to get this job," he said.

Thakkar, who will earn a yearly salary of $154,000, said one of the attractions was the village's proximity to his home in Des Plaines.

In discussing the differences between Bensenville and Mount Prospect, Thakkar said, "At the end of the day, the mission is the same for any finance department."

An examination of Bensenville's 2019 annual budget reveals some similarities between the towns.

Like Mount Prospect, the village built a new police headquarters, although Mount Prospect's facility was an adaptive reuse. A major part of the funding for the police headquarters for both towns was by issuing bonds.

The two towns have had similar increases in tax levies, though in different years. Bensenville levied a 0% percent property tax increase for 2017, 2% for 2018 and 1.99% for this year. Mount Prospect's levy was increased 2.2% in 2017, 1.9% in 2018 and 0% this year.

Thakkar replaces longtime finance leader David Erb, who took a similar job in the Dallas suburb of Lewisville, Texas.

"My financial philosophy is simple," Thakkar said. "Integrity and ethics are required to work in the finance department."

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