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Law firm hired to investigate Lyons Township School treasurer payout
Updated: August 6, 2012 2:17AM
A Chicago law firm has been selected to investigate the payout of $100,000 in accrued vacation, sick and personal time to Lyons Township School Treasurer Robert Healy.
Two members of the Lyons Township Trustees of Schools Board met June 1 at the treasurer’s office in LaGrange Park and selected Kubasiak, Fylstra, Thorpe & Rotunno to examine Healy’s contracts covering 23 years of employment.
Edward King, a La Grange attorney for the board, said he expects the analysis of Healy’s contracts and relevant documents to take three weeks to a month.
“Do they show he was entitled to accrued sick, vacation and personal days and at what rate is the correct figure that was applied?” King said. “If he was overpaid, that’s a problem and that’s what will be determined.”
One of three Western Springs residents at the meeting asked whether there were personnel policies in place and should Healy have sought board approval before cashing in more than $100,000 in benefits.
“No, but in my experience of 31 years, he should not have done this without some notification and approval by the board,” King said.
Board members Theron Tobolski of McCook and Karen Civinelli of Bridgeview also voted to advertise for a replacement for Edward Maloney of La Grange, who resigned May 17 so the board could conduct an independent investigation. Maloney, a partner in a Skokie law firm, also is running for Cook County Circuit Court judge in November, but said his candidacy wasn’t the reason he resigned.
Tobolski said King was charged with researching the number of years left on Maloney’s term, as well as minimum qualifications for the office. King said the board will post the vacancy on the trustees’ website, www.lyonstts.org, and seek interested applicants before making an appointment. The board is scheduled to meet again at 4 p.m. July 2 at 930 Barnsdale Road, LaGrange Park.
After the meeting, Tobolski said Healy “has done a great job and has had a great record.”
“We’ve never had a complaint from school districts. They’ve been happy with their returns,” he said.
The Lyons Township Trustees of Schools Board oversees Healy’s office, which invests more than $150 million in assets and manages payroll for 13 school districts and educational cooperatives in La Grange, Western Springs, Burr Ridge and other towns.
The Better Government Association released a report May 18 on Healy’s payout based on salary information obtained from the Open the Books Portal, a project of For the Good of Illinois, a group pushing for government transparency started by businessman and former gubernatorial candidate Adam Andrzejewski of Hinsdale.
That group’s website shows Healy making $180,319 in 2009 and $295,703 in 2011. There was no entry for 2010.
Western Springs resident Mike Thiessen said the board’s action to hire a law firm was a good move.
“There needs to be more awareness of this office, and its policies and procedures should be made public,” Thiessen said. “The dialog today is good. The board is open to doing the right thing.”
