A Seat at the Table

Archive for April 28th, 2009

More about the sweet pension deal

1 comment April 28th, 2009

State Sen. Dave Syverson sent me an e-mail that said Kurt Granberg’s pension deal is even better than what I described in an earlier post. Syverson said Granberg’s $111,000 plus pension will be compounded 3 percent a year for life. Syverson said a number of Rod Blagojevich’s friends benefited from the system.

Former state Sen. Carol Ronen quit midterm to take a job with the Blagojevich administration. She only lasted a few weeks before she quit to volunteer on Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. Her pension was based on the six-figure salary rather than her $70,000-something legislative salary.

Lawmakers and appointees get sweeter deals than average state workers. The only have to work one day — one –in a higher paying position to get a pension based on the higher salary.

Illinois needs pension reform. It should start by eliminating these kinds of sweet deals.

Three weeks brings an extra $40,000 for life

Add comment April 28th, 2009

Kurt Granberg was the head of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for three weeks. Despite being there barely long enough to warm a chair, the Pension Review Board voted 3-2 to allow him to earn a pension based on his DNR salary rather than his legislative salary.

Granberg will get a $111,716 annual pension. He would have still made a heft $73,000 if the board had voted the other way.

The vote was along party lines, with Democrats saying OK. Three members of the eight member board were missing.

Read the full story in the Mount Vernon Register-News HERE.



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