Police chief's pay skyrockets

You must read this story in the Chicago Sun-Times. It's "Illinois-style" benefits at their best.

Little ol' Chicago Ridge, Illinois. Know where that is? I didn't, either. Try 103rd, east of Harlem, just southwest of Oak Lawn. Population: 14, 127 (wikipedia.com). Per capita income: $20,278 (median, $44,101).

So its former police chief, Timothy A. Baldermann, says he hurt his back when carrying the body of a teen-age girl on a backboard down a staircase four years ago. Two days before he retired on disability, he was earning about $110,000/year. The next day the city fathers gave him a pay raise to $198,756. And the next day he retired on annual disability pay of $129,192, which was 65% of the $198,756. Tax-free.

Tell me he'd rather be working...

And when he's 60, his disability pay will jump from $129,192 to $191,204!!!

Is he really disabled? Now he's the Superintendent of Union School District 81, in Joliet. His pay? $127,000. And how large is District 81? Just 110 students. Read that again. One hundred ten students. My calculator says that the District is paying him $1,154 for each student.

How does a disabled police chief scarf up a school district's superintendent's job? What are the education requirements? Maybe a Ph.D. in Education? Maybe years of teaching experience and school administration? Maybe not in Union School District 81!

Plus he is the $18,000/year elected Mayor of New Lenox.

What screwy part of the disability law allows a person who is not disabled to collect disability pay while earning $127,000/year? Oh, right; I remember ... this is Illinois...

On top of that, he was awarded $127,230 in Workers Comp benefits last year.

And, finally, according to the Sun-Times article, Baldermann is "president of D & B Consultants and Security Inc., and has helped with security for (a) Miami Heat star."