Worth Township Race Heats Up
Slate of challengers running for Worth Township board declares victory over old guard's announcement of salary and benefit freezes for elected township officials.
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A slate of upstart challengers are declaring a victory with last week’s announcement that all salaries and benefits for elected Worth Township officials would be frozen until 2017.
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The current Worth Township board, that is running together on the United Party of Worth Township slate in the upcoming April election, approved the resolution on Feb. 28. In addition to salary and benefit freezes, township officials voted unanimously not to reduce services to seniors and youth.
The United Party slate also announced that they going door to door throughout the township and gathering voters’ signatures on a petition supporting the salary and benefit freezes.
The Township of Worth includes the communities of Oak Lawn, Evergreen Park, Alsip, Blue Island, Palos Heights, Chicago Ridge, Worth, Crestwood, Merrionette Park, Bridgeview, Hometown and Robbins.
“It’s a way of introducing ourselves,” Town Supervisor Jack Murphy said of the United Party, which is fielding a bipartisan slate of candidates for Worth Township offices in one of the few contested local races.
In addition to Murphy, the other United Party candidates include Roger Benson for town clerk, John Z. Toscas for assessor, and Steve Loulousis for highway commissioner. John “Jack” Lind, Michael Mahoney, Kelly Houlihan and David Walsh round out the slate for township trustee seats.
Lind is also a Chicago Ridge village trustee.
The long-time, township board is facing a stiff challenge by the Worth Township Community First Party. The challengers bill themselves as “reform” candidates that support term limits, salary freezes and suspension of pensions for the part-time, elected township officials.
The Community First slate includes Kevin Hughes for town supervisor; Katie Elwood for clerk; John Dietrick, assessor; Edward Moody, highway commissioner; and trustee candidates Patrick Hanlon, Eamon McMahon, Richard Lewandowski and Theresa Roche.
Hughes, who’s challenging Murphy for town supervisor, described the resolution as a “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” kind of approach.
“I feel like we already have a win,” Hughes said. “We believe in term limits and we’re not going to give ourselves a raise because we know taxpayers don’t want it. Taxpayers want to see money being used for the township.”
Undated payroll data available through the Better Government Association shows Murphy as earning an annual salary of $42,000 as town supervisor.
The late village clerk, Tom “Bud” Gavin was paid $30,000. Gavin passed away last year and former township trustee Roger Benson was appointed to the clerk's office.
Town Assessor Toscas, who’s running for dual seats in Worth Township and as mayor of Crestwood, is also paid $30,000 annually. Highway Commissioner Loulousis makes $31,000 as the town highway commissioner.
The annual salary for a town trustee is $10,000.
Murphy said that in the 16 years that most of the board has been together, township elected officials have only allowed themselves one raise.
“We don’t get the cost of living increase. We never accepted it,” Murphy said. “Other years we voted against increasing salaries.”
The Worth Township Community First Party thinks the old guard—Murphy, Toscas, Benson, Mahoney and Lind—who were first elected in 1997 have been in office too long.
The challengers say that if elected this spring they will volunteer to term limits, although their campaign doesn't indicate what they think is an acceptable number of terms.
“They talk about our term limits,” said Muphy, a republican. “Do they talk about [Illinois House] Speaker [Mike] Madigan or [U.S. Rep] Bobby Rush? They never bring up the democrats’ term limits.”
The consolidated election is April 9.
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Carolyn
9:50 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Wow! What I find appalling is the fact that the United Party has two incumbents (Jack Lind and John Toscaz) that are double dipping and hold two paid elected positions at the same time. I'm glad that the Community First Candidates have forced the United Party into admitting that they were wrong to raise thier pay while cutting services to seniors and children.
Citizen
11:10 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
I find it appalling and extremely ignorant that people still think that John Toscas is doing something illegal. It is the Trustees that get to vote in board meetings, the assessor does not get to vote. You can not hold two positions where you are a voting member. John Toscas does not violate that law.
Fred Friendly
11:06 am on Saturday, March 16, 2013
With an attitude like this, coming out immediately and calling people "ignorant", I have to believe the OP is Johnny himself. Well John, the "ignorant" masses in Worth Township are finally starting to catch on to you and the game you are playing. And when the people in Crestwood find out how you, as a current Trustee, are maneuvering to bring the same fat pension fund over to that village that you have in Worth Township, then maybe they will wise up too. Your days of spitting in the face of people and thinking you are better than everyone else are numbered.
NickMac
11:19 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The United Party of Worth Township has been in office for 16 years. Yet, they waited until last week to approve a 'reform' resolution. Where have they been all this time? Did they just wake up and realize they are accountable to taxpayers? This is just an election stunt to try to compete with the Community First Party who are the real reformers here. Too little, too late--you should retire United.
The United Party of Worth Township has been in office for 16 years. Yet, they waited until last week to approve a 'reform' resolution. Where have they been all this time? Did they just wake up and realize they are accountable to taxpayers? This is just an election stunt to try to compete with the Community First Party who are the real reformers here. Too little, too late--you should retire United.
Name: NickMac
Jim Sheahan
11:58 am on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
What I find appalling is that anyone thinks we still need township government. Abolish it completely and it won't cost a dime. Any "services" supposedly provided by the township could easily be absorbed by surrounding municipalities.We already have village, county, state, and federal government dipping into our pockets. Does anyone really believe township government is still useful and needed?
celia
3:47 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Have lived in worth township for 35 years,I enjoyed having a long conversation with Ed Moody about the township government. I wish there could be a debate so residents can make an educated decision when voting. Until then Ed Moody is getting my vote!
James Manning
4:09 pm on Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Mr. Sheahan is exactly correct. Township government is just an excuse for patronage jobs for friends and family members abolish all township offices.
Anthony Constantine
11:58 am on Sunday, March 10, 2013
Benefits people! Look past the smoke and mirrors. It's about nothing more than receiving health and pension benefits. I love the way they spun this into making the public think they are doing you a favor by not taking salary increases. Give up the health benefits and then I would be impressed! Benson is a small business owner in Oak Lawn meaning no pension or health...so what do they do get elected to public office and now they have health and a pension. Good deal right? Think about that when you have to pay your high health premiums.
celia
12:45 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
Ed Moody said they are against part time employees getting pensions and health care, and the worth trustee jobs are PART TIME!!!
Employed and Hating tax increases
1:34 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
but ed moody has a political patronage job at Cook County so it is easy for him to make such statements. How about helping to solve the problem by not taking a pension at the county. The IMRF that the township is part of is doing fine. In fact, it is the only funded pension system. Did Eddy tell you that? How about the fact that the Part timers put money into the pension?
bm
11:47 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2013
yesterday i was at a fundraiser at bourbon street. it was for st. baldrick's day and the party was honoring a little girl named ava that has a terrible, horrible cancer that no one or no family on this planet should have to deal with. with that being said i was standing in line (which was pretty long) with my children that were shaving their heads for the cause. there must have been 25 to 30 other people also standing in line as well. a man, the same man in the picture above with the purpleish tie on with the purpleish shirt asked the man that was standing in front of me if he could cut in front of him because he was in a "hurry" he had on a community first election button which raised my eyebrow. well, little did this man with the purpleish tie know that the man he butted in front of was the father of the little girl, ava, that has cancer! really? mr. purpleish tie and shirt are you really that much more important than any other person standing in that line? are you really that much more important than the father that is dealing with his daughter's cancer? very tacky sir! so as i was watching this entire situation unfold the man with the purpleish tie stepped out of line because another politician walked by and he wanted to hob knob with mr. bill cunningham. i'm still shaking my head, over 24 hours later i still want to throw up. what nerve you have mr. purpleish man!
bm
11:41 am on Saturday, March 16, 2013
let me tell you this really, really happened! ask rich himself. see what he says. ask mr. cunningham see what he says. and i don't know who john is...but let me tell ya my name is not john.