By Dee Longfellow
For The Bensenville Independent
On Wed., Dec. 21, the Independent learned that the Bensenville Park Board had hired Joe Vallez as an interim director for the Park District, replacing Rick Robbins who recently stepped down. Vallez will work on a temporary basis, paid month-by-month until a full-time executive director can be hired.
Vallez is currently serving as executive director of the park districts in North Berwyn and Justice. In addition, he is superintendent of parks and recreation for the Marengo community. He will keep those jobs while he works for Bensenville.
His contract, expected to be ratified at the next Park Board meeting, will pay him $6000 per month. One report indicated that Vallez’s combined income from those three park districts paid him roughly $245,000 last year. Some park board members are questioning whether or not Vallez can be effective running four park districts at once.
Commissioner John Wassinger said he was concerned that the contractual agreement does not specify the number of hours Vallez is expected to put in for Bensenville. He further indicated his disappointment that no other candidates for an interim director were presented to the Park Board, that Vallez was more or less thrust upon them. Wassinger was especially concerned that, without a choice of candidates, the Park Board was not doing its best job for the taxpayers.
“We weren’t given any [options],” he said. “So we’re making decisions in a vacuum.”
Bensenville Park Board President Rich Johnson said Vallez wasn’t expected to be in the office on a full time basis, but still plans to take the helm of the Park District and run things effectively until a full-time executive is hired. He didn’t expect Vallez to serve more than about six months.
The hiring of Vallez has apparently raised the eyebrows of the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF). State employees and officials can apply for the pension but they must work a minimum of 1000 hours each year to take part in IMRF. Vallez is reportedly working about 58 hours a week, not including Bensenville.
