Sangamon County administrator Brian McFadden has gotten a pay hike of nearly 25 percent.
McFadden, who had made $116,025, now earns $145,000 a year under a proposal approved by the county board’s finance committee on March 10.
Andy Goleman, chairman of the board’s finance committee, said that the county surveyed like-sized counties in Illinois and found that McFadden’s pay was the lowest. McFadden didn’t ask for a raise, Goleman said. In fact, the county administrator, hired in 2008, has resisted a pay hike above nominal ones given to all employees, Goleman said.
“We’ve talked to Brian about an increase for at least three years,” Goleman said. “Brian has always been resistant to it. Frankly, he says ‘I’m the guy who’s supposed to make sure we live within our means.’ That’s what he’d say.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner may have played an indirect role. McFadden confirmed that the Rauner administration had contacted him about taking a state job.
“I don’t have an interest in doing that,” McFadden said. “There were others (contacts from potential employers) as well.”
McFadden had made less than at least two county employees whom he supervises, including health department director Jim Stone, who earns $139,178, and Timothy Zahrn, county highway engineer, who makes $131,038.
Goleman said he understands that some might be concerned about such a large raise, but the county can show that McFadden had been dramatically underpaid compared with what administrators in other counties earn. And the Rauner administration, which has been handing out salaries that are higher than under former Gov. Pat Quinn, could have been a threat.
“With the new administration in there right now, they’re pretty competitive on their salaries,” Goleman said. “And they wouldn’t have to go very far. … Brian’s had an opportunity to go other places if he chose. He’s a great employee.”
While Goleman praised McFadden’s work, he said that the county needed to make the administrator’s salary competitive with other counties regardless of who is in the position. Otherwise, the county might find it difficult to attract top job candidates.
“The actual salary for that position was way below the market place,” Goleman said.
Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.
A previous version of this story indicated that the pay hike needed approval from the full county board. The increase, however, needed approval only from the board’s finance committee.
This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2015.
