Run a Town of 20,000? Here’s $472,255.

by Kate Piercy Questions are surrounding the nearly half a million dollar salary of Bellwood’s Roy McCampbell, who says “he did the work of 10 people for Bellwood — comptroller, administrator, public safety CEO, finance director, budget director, human resources director, mayoral assistant, corporation counsel, property commission director and development corporation officer,” and thinks Bellwood...

by Kate Piercy

Questions are surrounding the nearly half a million dollar salary of Bellwood’s Roy McCampbell, who says “he did the work of 10 people for Bellwood — comptroller, administrator, public safety CEO, finance director, budget director, human resources director, mayoral assistant, corporation counsel, property commission director and development corporation officer,” and thinks Bellwood paid him accordingly, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

John Rock, Village Attorney for Bellwood, said town officials were “a little shocked” when McCampbell’s 2009 income came to nearly half a million dollars. Rock explained, “We are still trying to get to the bottom of it.”

McCampbell started out with $120,000 salary when he came on board in 2001 as comptroller-administrator, but as he took on more titles and stipends, his salary quickly escalated.

Now, McCampbell has left his post and taxpayers can plan on picking up his pension checks, which are “significantly higher, thanks to those final years of pay bumps and vacation time cashouts.”

The Tribune reports, “Aside from concerns about salary, Bellwood officials and McCampbell also can’t agree on why he left.”

Perhaps Bellwood should consider making all of its spending, including salaries of employees, transparent. If the Village posted all spending online for the public — and town officials — more eyes would be able to keep spending in better check and help avoid such “shocking” scenarios in the future.

For more on the story, check it out here.