Let me start by stipulating that Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb has earned every cent of the $100,000 annual salary he would like to be awarded by the village government, its trustees, its citizens. He not only works hard, but he has been effective over the past three years in bringing actual development to town and in overhauling archaic systems and cultures at village hall, among many other accomplishments.
But the question here is not what is right or fair for any single person but what’s right for Oak Park, what’s essential and must be preserved in the formal structure of how Oak Park has governed itself since the 1950s and where can or should that village manager form of government evolve.
We’re not likely to have that thoughtful discussion when everyone is focused — admit it, now — on what Abu-Taleb, the successful restaurateur, would do with a $100K paycheck. And it is going to be hard to have that discussion in the 12 months leading up to village elections where the key campaign issue could come down to an unworthy debate over whether the mayor/village president serves for the honor or the pay.
Talked on Tuesday morning to David Pope, our previous village president and a young man who basically took a career hiatus of eight years to work full-time in his elected role. If anyone would have an interesting perspective on this it would be him.
Essentially Pope said he can argue both sides of this issue. He sees the value of an activist, engaged, full-time village president. His focus over two terms was connecting Oak Park to Washington and Springfield on issues of regional policy and to bring cash back to the village for special projects. Abu-Taleb has focused intently and effectively on a vision of economic growth and clearing the debris from village hall which stalled that growth.
If you expect that level of engagement but offer just a small annual stipend as payment, said Pope, you limit the potential pool of mayoral candidates to retirees, the independently wealthy or, I’d note, successful entrepreneurs such as Abu-Taleb. That is not ideal.
On the other hand, Pope said, put $100,000 against the job and you could wind up with people “pursuing it for personal economic desire.” And, I’d worry, you might have people seeking to become “mayor for life” since it pays fairly well and you get your mug on public access and in the local paper.
Like me, Pope worries that changing the dynamics of a form of governance that Oak Parkers adopted in the 1950s in response to intense political partisanship and low level corruption cannot be done lightly. His suggestion, the antithesis to Abu-Taleb’s “put it out there and have a debate” approach, is that the mayor and village board “put together a group of folks to look into it.” The venerable blue ribbon committee.
He’s right, of course. This is an important moment and it needs to be pulled back from the flame of trustees feeling blindsided, political opponents seeing an election opening and of Anan feeling underappreciated.
Best case scenario: Abu-Taleb announces now for re-election in April 2017 but agrees to forego any increased compensation beyond a possible inflation-based adjustment to the current stipend. A wise committee assesses the complex issue, gathers citizen response, takes a look at how other communities handle this issue and reports back to the board and community in due time.
In an artless and impolitic way, Anan Abu-Taleb has surfaced an issue worth debating. We need, and he needs, a way to move it back from this precipice. His successful term as mayor needs to be protected, both by him and by those who support him.
