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Health & Fitness

Why is a DuPage County Employee in this Picture?

A full-time County employee is allowed to leave his job on a work day for his boss' personal financial benefit.


The above photo was taken on the morning of June 3, 2014 at the DuPage Forest Preserve Board meeting.

The man sitting in the middle isn't the name the desk plate identifies. That's because DuPage County Clerk Gary King was at the County Board meeting scheduled during the same time. The man in the photo is Paul Hinds, a full-time government employee and my opponent for the 2014 DuPage County Clerk race.

Hinds shouldn't be sitting there.  Here's why:

He is an employee of DuPage County, which is a separate government entity of the DuPage Forest Preserve. It's a bit confusing, I admit. The Forest Preserve broke away from the County in 2002. Some traditions are hard to let go, so the Forest Preserve Board decided to keep King on in the ceremonial position of Board secretary.

So about twice a month, my opponent's boss treks to the Forest Preserve for their Board meetings. By now I know you're all very concerned that King volunteers this extra work. Set aside those fears. The Forest Preserve pays him a stipend of $10,000, bringing King's total government salary and stipends to nearly $160,000.

I've been griping publicly about his bloated income for 18 months.

For this extra $10,000 annually, King does the roll call and adds up the yeas and nays totaling six, if all Forest Preserve Commissioners show up. He doesn't take notes or prepare minutes. Instead the Board secretary has his staff back at the County do all that for no extra compensation -- all for the personal benefit of their boss.

There is no formal, written intergovernmental agreement for this arrangement, despite District 2 County Board Member Liz Chaplain's repeated requests over a year ago.

My opponent fills in for King during Forest Preserve Board meetings. Last week, I asked the DuPage County Board some questions in public comment:

Under what authority is a DuPage County employee sitting in at a separate government entity, the DuPage County Forest Preserve? Who is performing the job responsibilities of the County employee while he's at the Forest Preserve?

Who is paying the County employee to be at the Forest Preserve?

Is the County employee taking a vacation day or personal day? Who is liable in the event of an accident during this time, the Forest Preserve or the County?

Over the past week, I thought of a few more questions:

Why is a County employee allowed to sit in executive session of the Forest Preserve Board? Does this mean a Forest Preserve employee can sit in executive session at the DuPage County Board?

Is King's way of paying Hinds back by serving as his campaign chairman?
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